Internalized shame and early interactions characterized by indifference, abandonment and rejection: replicated findings

Emotions and interpersonal interaction and their interdependence are important issues in current clinical psychology. We studied memories of early interpersonal experience and their association to shame in two samples (N = 62, N = 122). Participants filled in the Internalized Shame Scale and the SASB (Structural Analysis of Social Behaviour) Intrex ‘Mother Acted Toward Me’. An association between memories of an ignoring, abandoning mother and shame was replicated in both samples. The non‐clinical nature of our samples demands caution, but therapists could profit from knowing that internalized shame tends to correlate with experiences of being met by indifference, abandonment and rejection.