Shame as a Struggle for Human Worth and Belonging—Experiences of Shame Related to Life‐Suffering

INTRODUCTION: Research indicates that shame may undermine self-worth, particularly in societies marked by high demands for self-realization and individual responsibility, where failures are often internalized. Shame is a pervasive and potentially harmful affect, closely linked to self-evaluation, mental health and societal expectations, yet its lived and existential dimensions remain insufficiently explored. In this study, shame is understood in relation to life-suffering, an ontological dimension of suffering that touches the whole human being when dignity, belonging, life understanding and possibilities of being are challenged. AIM: The study aims to deepen the understanding of shame as it is experienced and expressed, using life-suffering as a theoretical framework. METHOD: Hermeneutical reading of classic texts was used as the methodological framework and research method. Two contemporary novels written by Marie Aubert and Helga Flatland were selected as material for reading and interpretation. FINDINGS: The findings highlight shame as an interplay between desire and self-disqualification, embodied shame and the vanishing self, shame arising from the sense of being different, shame as a generalized sense of not being enough as a human being, the shame of wanting to stand out, shame as unmet expectations and the sense of living the wrong life, and shame as the breaking point that opens new possibilities and dreams. CONCLUSION: Shame, as a lived and dynamic force intertwined with life suffering, shapes human beings' understanding of self, human worth, belonging, relationships and capacity to act. Being seen, acknowledged and received by others in ways that affirm human dignity and restore vitality and agency. Rather than needing to be eliminated, shame may be borne, reconciled with and transformed through experiences of meaning, recognition and connection. In this way, existential vulnerability emerges not only as a source of suffering but also as an opening toward renewed meaning, hope and courage to live.