A Developmental Analysis of Pride and Shame

Abstract

Theoretical and practical questions regarding the development of pride and shame in children are discussed. Feelings of efficacy are suggested as the biologically based emotional precursor to pride; fear of abandonment is suggested as the precursor to shame. On the basis of philosophical and psychological definitions of these emotions, the development of pride and shame is claimed to be linked to both cognitive-developmental factors and socialization. Specific developments through childhood and adolescence in the conditions that produce pride and shame are proposed.