Four-year-old Susan steals a cookie between meals and feels uneasy about her misdeed. She says to herself, "You are a bad girl" and slinks away to her room to avoid having to interact with her mother. Susan is experiencing _____ .

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Susan is experiencing shame because she has internalized a negative evaluation of herself as a person, rather than just feeling bad about her specific behavior. This is evidenced by her labeling herself as a "bad girl" and avoiding her mother out of a fear of being rejected because of her perceived flaw as a person. Guilt, on the other hand, would involve feeling bad specifically about the action of stealing the cookie and desiring to make amends for the harm caused. Evaluative embarrassment may also be present, as Susan is aware of the social norms surrounding appropriate behavior, but shame is the primary emotion being experienced. Generalized anxiety about being caught and punished is not applicable to this situation as Susan has already committed the misdeed and is not currently in danger of being caught or punished.

Four-Year-Old Susan Steals a Cookie Between Meals and Feels Uneasy