Concern for self‐image and social image in the management of moral failure: Rethinking shame

Moral failure is thought to damage self‐image when people appraise it as indicating a global self‐defect. This appraisal is thought to be associated with the feeling of shame and thus self‐defensive motivation. However, a damaged social image better explains self‐defensive motivation to hide from and avoid others. Based on an integrative review of theory and research, we offer a conceptual model of how concern for self‐image and social image guides the experience of moral failure. The model distinguishes the appraisals (of self‐defect and other‐condemnation) and feelings (of rejection, inferiority, and shame) embedded in the shame concept. Concern for a damaged social image is represented in an other‐condemnation → rejection combination, whereas concern for a damaged self‐image is represented in a (global) self‐defect → inferiority combination. As these appraisal–feeling combinations are concerned with damage done to one's image, they should be linked to self‐defensive motivation. As the (specific) self‐defect → shame combination is concerned with a repairable defect in self‐image, it should be linked with self‐improvement motivation. Thus, our model explains why “shame” is sometimes tied to self‐defensive motivation and sometimes tied to self‐improvement motivation after moral failure.