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Shame and Humiliation: A Dialogue between Psychoanalytic and Systemic Approaches

Author(s) : Carlos Guillermo Bigliani, Author(s) : Rodolfo Moguillansky, Author(s) : Carlos E. Sluzki

Reviews and Endorsements

‘Humiliation and Shame are universal feelings, fundamental in the individual, social and political spheres. The distinguished journalist Thomas Friedman stated in the New York Times: “Humiliation is the single most underestimated force in politics. These are the emotions that sparked the uprisings in Cairo and Moscow. They were not driven by ideology, but rather by the most human of emotions – the quest for dignity and justice”. Although these emotions abound in the writings of novelists since antiquity, we find surprisingly few contributions on this subject in psychoanalytic journals. This welcome book fills this gap. The authors have common roots: they were trained in psychoanalysis in Argentina and were disciples of the great psychiatrist Mauricio Goldenberg. However, they followed quite different paths: Bigliani in São Paulo where he followed a brilliant career as a psychoanalytical teacher; Moguillansky, a prolific psychoanalytical writer and teacher, in Argentina; and Sluzki, participating in the family therapy movement since its inception, enjoyed a solid academic career in the United States. In fact, part of the richness of this book derives from this dialectical intermingled relationship between common background and different trajectories.’
- Elias M. da Rocha Barros, Past Editor for Latin America of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis

‘Shame and Humiliation is an analysis on emotions that are not explored enough in the psychoanalytic field. Reading this book, we can realize what the two axes convey. Firstly, the authors illuminate universal emotional experiences and their role in the construction of subjectivity. They clearly emphasize the influence of socio-cultural context and its discourses and mandates. In this context, they focus on what is allowed and what is forbidden concerning emotions. Secondly, they analyze the eventual connections and links between psychoanalysis and systemic theory, showing their concordances and discordances. This interesting approach, intersecting two points of departure, allowed the authors to debate different positions, to work on intersections and to construct bridges among different theoretical frames. I highly recommend this book, not only for its contents, but also as a model of debating topics that enrich the process of analyzing interpersonal relations and their social and cultural framework.’
- Leticia Glocer Fiorini, President of the Asociación Psicoanalitíca Argentina

'This satisfying and revealing conversation among the three expert authors explores the core dynamics of shame and humiliation, key social emotions that are lodged at the center of most conflicts, from interpersonal to international. A rich contribution to the theme, and a worthwhile reading!'
- Donald A. Bloch, MD, President of the American Family Therapy Academy (1997-1999), and editor of Family Process and Family Systems Medicine