Can Shame Be A Positive, Useful Thing? Under The Right Circumstances, Definitely

“Modern American culture is down on shame – it is, we are told, a damaging, useless emotion that we should neither feel ourselves nor make others feel. This is particularly the case when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction. … But in fact, the experience of shame – the feeling that one has failed to live up to one’s own standards – can play a positive role in recovery from addiction, as well as from other kinds of destructive habits.”