We bring extensive research and public engagement experience on the topic of shame and have worked with a variety of sectors in the UK and USA, including healthcare, policing, local government, arts and culture, and community organizations. Our work informs–and is informed by–frameworks including trauma-informed care, professional identity formation, psychological safety, and the dignity model, among others.
The Shame Lab grew out of ongoing collaboration between its founders, Luna Dolezal and Will Bynum, whose individual scholarly work on shame in healthcare coalesced through two major creative projects: The Nocturnists’ Shame in Medicine podcast series and The Shame Space international consortium. Serendipitously, and after beginning their work together, Will and Luna learned of the formal partnership shared by their institutions (Duke and Exeter, respectively). They have been the recipients of two awards from the Duke-Exeter Fund through which they built The Shame Space and its numerous initiatives.
Shame is a complex and negative emotional experience that can take many forms. It occurs when we feel negatively judged or ‘less than’ others; we feel unworthy, unloved, or as though we might be rejected; or we feel we have transgressed the standards and expectations we set for ourselves—or that others set for us.
Shame lies at the heart of the growing dehumanization, disconnection, and distress seen in professional settings, including healthcare, law enforcement, criminal justice, and social work, among others. Its effects can be damaging and pervasive. Driven by evolved, self-preserving efforts (e.g., hiding, disengaging, or responding with anger, blame, or defensiveness), shame can induce problematic behaviors including disengagement, reticence to report concerns, humiliating treatment of others, defensive responses to feedback, and intense self-blame. The effects of these behaviors are likely to undermine safety, inhibit self-expression, diminish employee satisfaction, impair team function, weaken institutional culture, and impede organizational growth and productivity.
Shame Competence is a set of skills, principles and practices that can be learned by individuals and applied within teams and throughout an organisation. Shame competent individuals, teams, and organizations are able to constructively engage with shame to advance well-being, dignity, and inclusion.
