The Phenomenology and Dynamics of Wealth Shame

Between Moral Responsibility and Moral Masochism

Bibliographic Data

ID8332717
AuthorsNoha Sadek (0009-0006-3195-7149, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume68
Issue4
Pages615-648
Publication date2020-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-0651 • E-ISSN: 1941-2460
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0003065120949972
PMID32927991
OpenAlexW3087671493
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited21

In an age of striking inequality in wealth, a related phenomenon, wealth shame, has developed. A multidisciplinary exploration of such shame examines its intrapsychic, intersubjective, transgenerational, and sociopolitical roots in the U.S., as well as its multiple functions: as an ethical response to economic disparity (moral responsibility), as a manifestation of a pervasive shame pattern (moral masochism), and as a defense against pleasure, feelings of superiority, and the fear of being envied. Several clinical vignettes illustrate these themes and are followed by reflections on their clinical implications. The psychoanalytic community’s conflicted relationship to social class, money, and wealth is also examined. This conflictedness may inform the analyst’s countertransference to wealth shame and his or her ability to appreciate the psychic landscapes of class as they present in the consulting room

Epistemology · Feeling · Moral responsibility · Phenomenology (philosophy) · Phenomenon · Psychic · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Shame · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Employment and Welfare Studies · Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, and Politics · Psychology · Social Psychology

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