Is Shame Necessary?

New Uses for an Old Tool

By: Jennifer Jacquet

Narrated by: Jennifer Jacquet

An urgent, illuminating exploration of the social nature of shame and of the ways in which it might be used, sparingly and pointedly, to promote political change and social reform.

In cultures that champion the individual, guilt is advertised as the cornerstone of conscience. Yet while guilt holds individuals to personal standards, it proves impotent in the face of corrupt corporate policies. In recent years we have been asked to assuage our guilt about these problems as consumers by buying organic foods or fair-trade products, for example. Yet unless nearly everyone participates, the impact of individual consumer consciousness is microscopic. Jennifer Jacquet persuasively argues that the solution to the limitations of guilt can be found in shame, retrofitted for the age of democracy and social media. She demonstrates how shaming can function as a nonviolent form of resistance that, in turn, challenges institutions, organizations, and even governments to actuate large-scale change. She argues that when applied in the right way, in the right quantity, and at the right time, shame has the capacity to keep us from failing other species in life's fabric and, ultimately, ourselves.

©2015 Jennifer Jacquet (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Scholarly review of this timely subject

This is a very readable book full of interesting anecdote. Dr. Jacquet challenges the reader to consider a new approach to effect positive changes in society