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Psychology Behind Shame Analysis

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Psychology Behind Shame: a Paper by Ellie McEwen

Shame is defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary as a : a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety b : the susceptibility to such emotion The generation of Veterans coming home from Vietnam had a spike in mental health issues as well as feelings of guilt and shame but an argument could be made that it stems from attitudes back home. Many men coming back from Vietnam had deep rooted shame that was not present before they left, as well as a deep hatred and anger towards people and their own country. The Vietnam war differed from every other war previous to it, as the vast majority of U.S. citizens felt shame themselves that their country took place in the war, so it’s easy to understand hostile attitudes towards the pawns that fought.

It’s common knowledge that war is a very unpleasant experience, and vietnam is definitely no exception. This war was grueling, with many of the soldiers being drafted and not there by choice. Morale was always low, leading to an increase in substance abuse. There was the constant threat of death, and innocent men had to trudge on even after they personally witnessed death of their comrades and friends. Nights were long and the days were frightening, there was no guarantee …show more content…

The Vietnam war was constantly broadcasted, with regular citizens being able to keep up with current events. Even though the news, the life of a soldier was not accurately portrayed and didn’t prepare folks back home for the reality of the situation. , There was no level of sympathy for these people as the average day citizen couldn’t compare this to anything in their own lives. Travesties happened overseas, as they often do with war however no Americans back home had been conditioned to

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