Shame aversion and shame-proneness in Cluster C personality disorders.

The associations between shame and Cluster C personality disorders (PDs) were examined in 237 undergraduates, 35 of whom met at least subthreshold criteria for Cluster C PDs assessed using the Personality Disorder Interview–IV. Shame-proneness (the propensity to experience shame across many situations) was measured using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect–3, and shame aversion (the tendency to perceive shame as especially painful and undesirable) was measured using the Shame-Aversive Reactions Questionnaire. A go/no-go association task was used to assess the strength of implicit mental representations of the association between shame and pain, relative to that between shame and pleasure. Shame-proneness and shame aversion were associated with Cluster C PD symptoms over and above trait positive and negative affect. Further, shame-proneness was found to be associated with Cluster C PDs among individuals with high but not low levels of shame aversion. Finally, shame–pain associations were uniquely associated with dependent personality disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)