Containing contributions from major authors currently writing on the topic, this is a comprehensive introduction to clinical and theoretical perspectives on the subject of shame. The panoramic scope of this multidisciplinary volume is evidenced by a variety of clinically and developmentally grounded chapters; by chapters explicating the theories of Silvan Tomkins and Helen Block Lewis; and by chapters examining shame from the viewpoints of philosophy, social theory and the study of family systems. A final section of brief chapters illuminates shame in relation to specific clinical problems...