Abstract

CARROLL, Felicia. The pitchfork princess: Transforming the torment of shame. Interam. j. psychol. [online]. 2009, vol.43, n.2, pp. 260-267. ISSN 0034-9690.

Gestalt therapist and adolescent client collaborated in writing an account of the therapeutic process in understanding and transforming a rupture within the adolescent’s sense of self, originated in shame and resulting in suicidal depression. The report includes an evaluation of the etiology of the adolescent’s internal conflict between sense of inadequacy in social and sexual relationships and her self-judgment and self-rejection. Through the support of the therapeutic relationship, the adolescent girl built self support by experimenting with expressing her emotions, especially anger, to family members and close friends. The process whereby the therapist facilitated the adolescent in restoring integration of self and a sense of self worth and self love is described. Furthermore, a brief discussion of perspectives of early Greeks to those in contemporary psychological literature on the dynamics of shame and self hatred is presented.

Keywords : Gestalt therapy; Shame; Self; Integration.

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