Phenomenological Perspectives of Shame in an Academic Setting in Sri Lanka

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Phenomenological Perspectives of Shame in an Academic Setting in Sri Lanka

Abeyweera, G.H.
Department of English Language Teaching, Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka

Abstract: This paper essentially deals with the Phenomenological perspectives of ‘shame’ in an academic setting in the context of Sri Lanka with a view to provide a description where the study is confined to numerically four subjects of which around main subject, the three other subjects were moving around. Phenomenology covenants with the science of phenomena concentrating the study of consciousness and the object of direct experience. Phenomenology also has a close association with psychology and philosophy. However, psychology plays a crucial role to play on phenomenology of shame. Thus, this papers aims at providing a description on phenomenological perspectives on shame in relations to academic setting of Sri Lanka.

Keywords: phenomenology, perspectives, psychoanalysis, academic setting

I. INTRODUCTION

Phenomenology deals with the science of phenomena as distinct from that of the nature of being which is an approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the object of direct experience. More often, phenomenology has a very close association with psychology and philosophy amongst which psychology is playing a pivotal role on shame. Hence, this paper aims at presenting some phenomenological perspectives of being shame in the academic setting of Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka.
Despite the exegesis of the term ‘shame’, shame has been the subject of discussion of several disciplines such as psychology, philosophy and psychoanalysis inclusive of a general topic in great literature. Tracing out the etymological aspect of shame, it goes back to Indu-European root (Karleeon, and Gustav, 2009) referring to “hiding’ “concealing” or “covering up”. According to Heidegger (1980), Sartre (1956), Tomkind (1963) and, Niedenthal et al. (1994), the shame has been defined in terms of psychoanalysis as context dependent. The hermeneutics of shame is elicited in terms of context dependency.
In the context of philosophy, the shame is viewed as a philosophical and cultural phenomenon which is in terms of cultural anthropology (Elias, 1978). It is also viewed as self-consciousness in terms of philosophical anthropology (Sartre 1956).The exegesis of shame in terms of philosophical cultural anthropology is evident that most of the researchers have dealt with closed shame and not about open shame. Once again, in the context of psychology, the shame is discussed and debated in connection with guilt.

Read More