Analysis of Dick Gregory's Shame
At approximately the seventh or eighth year of life
, children begin integrating comparisons with others, such as their peers, into their selfconcep
t. Their sense of how their abilities and situations compare to those around them become an important facet of their selfconcept.
Does Gregory’s recollection in the chapter
Shame conform to this understanding of childhood development ? Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development model would be most relevant to Gregory’s example?
Provide a relevant example for each question from the chapter to support your answers.
1
Shame is defined as "a painful feeling caused by a sense of guilt, shortcoming, impropriety; dishonor or disgrace." This painful emotion can come from either external sources such as the feedback from people around an individual or from internal sources such as a person 's own worldview. In the story "Shame," author Dick Gregory describes his experiences with both externally and internally Read more.... motivated shame.The externally motivated shame
Richard feels is caused most notably by his teacher, who made belittling comments about
Richard 's poverty, his lack of a father and his poor school performance, which she insensitively assumed was a result of stupidity, not the hunger pains of a child used to going to school without breakfast and eating stolen food or paste to satiate his gnawing hunger. His humiliation is described in a scene in which Richard attempts to pledge money to charity, only to be chastised by his teacher. "We are collecting this money for you and your kind, Richard
Gregory. If your daddy can give fifteen dollars you have no business being on relief. . . . We know you don 't have a daddy." Before the unkindness Richard experiences at school, he was innocent of the prejudice caused by social differences. He knew he was poor, but he was not really aware how different he was compared to his peers. "I never learned hate at home, or
, children begin integrating comparisons with others, such as their peers, into their selfconcep
t. Their sense of how their abilities and situations compare to those around them become an important facet of their selfconcept.
Does Gregory’s recollection in the chapter
Shame conform to this understanding of childhood development ? Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development model would be most relevant to Gregory’s example?
Provide a relevant example for each question from the chapter to support your answers.
1
Shame is defined as "a painful feeling caused by a sense of guilt, shortcoming, impropriety; dishonor or disgrace." This painful emotion can come from either external sources such as the feedback from people around an individual or from internal sources such as a person 's own worldview. In the story "Shame," author Dick Gregory describes his experiences with both externally and internally Read more.... motivated shame.The externally motivated shame
Richard feels is caused most notably by his teacher, who made belittling comments about
Richard 's poverty, his lack of a father and his poor school performance, which she insensitively assumed was a result of stupidity, not the hunger pains of a child used to going to school without breakfast and eating stolen food or paste to satiate his gnawing hunger. His humiliation is described in a scene in which Richard attempts to pledge money to charity, only to be chastised by his teacher. "We are collecting this money for you and your kind, Richard
Gregory. If your daddy can give fifteen dollars you have no business being on relief. . . . We know you don 't have a daddy." Before the unkindness Richard experiences at school, he was innocent of the prejudice caused by social differences. He knew he was poor, but he was not really aware how different he was compared to his peers. "I never learned hate at home, or