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Shame as a Sanction of Social Control in Biblical Israel: Judicial, Political, and Social Shaming

Moravian Theological Seminary Bethlehem, PA 18018, USA

The history of Judeo-Christian biblical interpretation reflects a strong emphasis on the sanction of guilt; yet the sanction of shame probably plays a more significant role in the society. Shame is a different emo tional response and sanction, arising out of different psychological forces and functioning in different social constructions from guilt. As a sanction of behavior shame functions primarily as (1) a means of social control which attempts to repress aggressive or undesirable behavior; (2) as a pressure that preserves social cohesion in the com munity through rejection and the creation of social distance between deviant members and the group; and (3) as an important means of dominating others and manipulating social status. Its coercive power is available officially to state or local authorities as a formal sanction (judicial and political shaming) and unofficially to the community as an informal social sanction (social shaming). It is effective in a pre dominantly group-oriented social structure.

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