Researching state shame with the Experiential Shame Scale

Although debilitating effects of experiencing shame are posited in several theories of emotion and motivation, little research has been conducted on individuals' "in-the-moment" feelings of shame (i.e., state shame). However, researching state shame is challenging because individuals may deny or underreport their feelings of shame, tend to self-isolate when they feel shame, and may be unwilling or unable to express themselves when feeling shame. The Experiential Shame Scale (ESS), an "opaque" measure of physical, emotional, and social markers of shame experiences, was developed to address the difficulties of assessing state shame. Evidence obtained in three studies of individuals' emotional reactions following personally important exam feedback suggests that students' ESS ratings were uniquely related to feelings of state shame and not to state guilt. Findings also reveal that state shame is specifically related to feelings of shock and not surprise. As intended, findings suggested that the ESS has low face validity and is not related to social desirability.