Exploring implicit theories of shame: developing a new scale assessing shame-related beliefs

Shame is conventionally regarded as a negative emotion with maladaptive effects. However, the rich connotations of the word shame suggest an adaptive function too (e.g., in restraining people from engaging in shame-inducing behaviors). This is the first research that examines the enhancing beliefs about sense of shame (i.e., utility of sense of shame) and debilitating beliefs about shame (i.e., consequences of shame), with a tool developed to assess these two beliefs among two independent samples of Chinese undergraduate students (N = 585 and 386). Findings confirmed the two-factor structure of the scale with acceptable internal consistency. Only the enhancing beliefs about sense of shame were positively correlated with adaptive shame coping and reappraisal emotion regulation, whereas only debilitating beliefs about shame were positively correlated with suppression emotion regulation. By exploring lay theories of shame and their potential differential associations with individuals’ resilience in the face of shame, this newly developed scale sheds light on multifaceted aspects of shame-related beliefs and coping.