Shame, Humiliation, and Stigma in the Medical Interview

Abstract

This chapter explores the importance of shame and humiliation in the clinical encounter. The experience of shame and humiliation in medical encounters seems natural when one considers that patients commonly perceive their diseases as defects, inadequacies, or shortcomings and that they must expose their bodies and minds to strangers to receive the desired help. However, the subject of shame and humiliation in the medical care of patients is rarely discussed, studied, or written about. I will first discuss the semantics, phenomenology, and general psychology of shame and humiliation and then attempt to show the relevance of these feelings and cognitive states in clinical practice.