Shame and emotional regulation in the process of identity formation

In the paper we present a draft of a model capturing the relationship between shame and the identity development process. We discuss two main concepts of shame: shame as an ad- aptive emotion, according to the evolutionary approach, and as a maladaptive emotion, accord- ing to the cognitive attribution theory. Our main thesis states that shame has an essential, both constructive and maladaptive importance for identity development, and this effect is indirect, through the mechanisms of regulating emotions. The destructive and disrupting value of shame is not an immanent feature of this emotion, but a consequence of malfunctioning mechanisms of shame regulation. The association of shame with identity formation relates to the dimensions of exploration: in breadth, in depth and ruminative, as well as to commitment making and identifi - cation with commitment. People with a high level of shame proneness are more sensitive to in- formation and assessment coming from signifi cant others from their nearest social environment and more self-critical. This may contribute to the increasing discrepancy or dissonance between the possessed and the desired or socially expected identity. This may also activate mechanisms of identity change and affect its relative stability.