Shame

Stephen Pattison is Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Practice and H. G. Wood Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham. His latest books are The Challenge of Practical Theology (2007), Seeing Things: Deepening Relations with Visual Artefacts (2007) and Saving Face: Enfacement, Shame, Theology (2013).

• Part I. Approaching Shame: 1. Emotional confusion; 2. Problems in approaching shame; Part II. Encountering Shame: 3. The ecology of shame; 4. Chronic shame; 5. Some effects and implications of chronic shame; 6. Aspects of the socio-historical significance of shame; 7. Dealing with shame: the task of integration; Part III. Shame and Christianity: 8. Modern Christian responses to shame; 9. Shame in Christianity; 10. Towards more adequate approaches to shame; Epilogue.

'Thoughtful observers of the human condition have largely shifted from an earlier concern with behavior toward rapt concentration on the emotions that underlie or accompany it. The very concept of morality forces attention on shame and guilt as the internal enforcers of any moral code. Professor Pattison, whose career long interest in the doing of religious work has made any of his books worth serious attention, here presents a compelling argument that theology must be practical in order to accomplish its goals. In this stunning text, he heralds a shift from a Christian doctrine based on the shaming attribution of the worshiper as inherently defective toward one grounded in compassion, safety, and love. This is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of religious practise.' Donald L. Nathanson, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, The Silvan S. Tomkins Institute, Philadelphia