Turning the Gorgon: A Meditation on Shame

by Sandra Edelman

The devastating humiliation of shame here receives an in-depth psychological study. Edelman draws from many fields beyond the clinical-classical scholarship, Jungian thought, mythology, philosophy and theology―to find meaning and eventually healing the paralysis of shame. Of central importance is the image of the hideous Gorgon worn on Athene's breastplate and the possibilities for understanding shame with the help of Athene. An exemplary and highly readable study of how gods and diseases connect.

157 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[culley]

This book contains a bunch of fantastically insightful passages, but it is academic and dense-- not an easy read. In terms of the literature review on shame, I think Donald Nathanson is underrepresented.

[Laura]

Interesting look at the concept of shame from the perspectives of mythology, psychology, and religion but less satisfying in its description of psychological sources and therapeutic solutions.