Sex Offenders and Shame
Posted by Joe Doherty on Mon, Feb 14, 2011 @ 03:51 PM
Most people would probably agree that shame is a difficult emotion to experience. But what is shame? According to Webster's Dictionary it is defined as "a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming or impropriety." Anais Nin, the novelist, defined shame as "the lie someone told you about yourself."
Whatever definition you go by shame is a difficult, emotional, esteem lowering and painful feeling to experience. If you don't think so, think back to your childhood and recall the experience of being shamed by a peer or an adult.
But what about sex offenders and shame? Do they experience it?
Based upon my 30+ years of experience in the field I would say that most sex offenders do. This comes up, with some frequency, in sex offender specific group therapy. You hear it in their talk of how it has affected their relationships with others and with themselves, in their talk of community notification and the dread with which they approach the local police department when they have to register and wondering how they will be treated by the officer behind the desk. You hear it in their anxiety about some states IDing offenders by planning to issue them driver's licenses and plates letting others know who they are.
There is a lot sex offenders have to work through in sex offender specific counseling. Shame is one of many topics.
Credit: royalconstantinesociety