The Etiology and Phenomenology of Sexual Shame: a Grounded Theory Study

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The Etiology and Phenomenology of Sexual Shame: a Grounded Theory Study Seattle aP cific nivU ersity Digital Commons @ SPU Clinical Psychology Dissertations Psychology, Family, and Community, School of Spring May 10th, 2017 The tE iology and Phenomenology of Sexual Shame: A Grounded Theory Study Noel Clark Seattle Pacific nU iversity Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/cpy_etd Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Clark, Noel, "The tE iology and Phenomenology of Sexual Shame: A Grounded Theory Study" (2017). Clinical Psychology Dissertations. 25. https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/cpy_etd/25 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Psychology, Family, and Community, School of at Digital Commons @ SPU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Clinical Psychology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ SPU. The Etiology and Phenomenology of Sexual Shame: A Grounded Theory Study Noël Clark A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Clinical Psychology Seattle Pacific University School of Psychology, Family and Community May 10, 2017 Approved by: Reviewed by: John Thoburn Ph.D. Amy Mezulis Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Clinical Dissertation Chair Psychology Lynette Bikos Ph.D. Katy Tangenberg Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Dean, School of Psychology, Family Committee Member & Community Tina Schermer Sellers Ph.D. Associate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy Committee Member Sexual Shame ii Gratitude: Dedication and Acknowledgements Throughout this project I have been humbled and honored to share in the stories of so many brave women—this dissertation is dedicated to the participants of this study, to my clients who have taught me so much, and to all of those who share similar stories. Thank you also to my committee: to Dr. Thoburn for his constant wisdom and encouragement, to Dr. Bikos for her attention to detail and methodological guidance, and to Dr. Sellers for her passion for women’s sexual health. Lastly I am deeply grateful to Austin for being my anchor throughout my graduate education, and to my friends and family for their love and support. Sexual Shame iii Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................... IV LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ V ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. VI CHAPTER I ................................................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 1 PURPOSE .................................................................................................................................................... 1 SEXUAL SHAME WITHIN CLINICAL LITERATURE .................................................................................... 10 REVIEW OF CURRENT SHAME MEASURES USED TO ASSESS SHAME RELATED TO SEXUALITY ............. 16 Internalized Shame ............................................................................................................................. 17 Shame Coping ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Shame .................................................................................................................................................. 19 Sexual Shame ...................................................................................................................................... 19 STUDY RATIONALE AND PURPOSE .......................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER II .............................................................................................................................................. 22 METHOD ................................................................................................................................................... 22 RESEARCH DESIGN RATIONALE .............................................................................................................. 22 QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 22 PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................................. 26 PROCEDURE FOR ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER III ............................................................................................................................................ 30 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................... 30 DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ................................................................................................................ 30 REVIEW OF DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................... 33 THE ETIOLOGY OF SEXUAL SHAME ........................................................................................................ 33 Microsystems. ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Mesosystems. ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Exosystems. ......................................................................................................................................... 48 Macrosystems. ..................................................................................................................................... 54 THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF SEXUAL SHAME ........................................................................................... 59 Internalized sexual shame—Intrapersonal sexual shame. .................................................................. 61 Partnered relational shame—Microsystemic sexual shame. .............................................................. 69 Bodily/Biological shame—Ecosystemic sexual shame. ...................................................................... 74 Vulnerability—Macrosystemic sexual shame. .................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER IV ............................................................................................................................................ 87 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................. 87 THE IMPACT OF TWO RESEARCH SAMPLES ............................................................................................. 87 SEXUAL SHAME AS A DOMAIN-SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE OF SHAME ......................................................... 88 CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR SEXUAL SHAME PREVENTION AND RECOVERY ...................................... 93 STUDY LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 97 IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH .................................................................................................. 97 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 99 APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................................... 105 Sexual Shame iv List of Tables Table 1. Demographics for Lay Participants ............................................................................. 31 Table 2. Demographics for Therapist Participants .................................................................... 32 Table 3. Ecosystemic Model of the Etiology of Sexual Shame ................................................ 35 Table 4 Phenomenology of Sexual Shame ............................................................................... 60 Sexual Shame v List of Appendices Appendix A Demographic Questionnaire for Therapist Participants ....................................... 105 Appendix B Demographic Questionnaire for Lay Participants ................................................ 106 Appendix C Semi-Structured Interview Protocol for Therapist Participants ........................... 107 Appendix D Semi-Structured Interview Protocol for Lay Participants .................................... 108 Sexual Shame vi Noël E. Clark Number of words: 323 Abstract Although sexual shame is widely present in social discourse and has previously been described clinically—as shame related to sexual thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and attitudes—it has not been defined in an operational manner that can be empirically tested. This study creates a bridge between the colloquial knowledge regarding sexual shame found in clinical practice
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