3 Quotes & Sayings By Peter N Stearns

Peter N. Stearns is a writer, editor and consultant specializing in helping writers improve both their writing and their marketing skills. He is also a former fiction editor for Writer's Digest magazine. His latest book, The Fine Art of Social Media for Writers , is a guide to using social media tools to increase your visibility, build your audience and make more money from writing Read more

He is the author of Social Media For Writers: The Ultimate Guide to Using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Other Online Tools to Promote Your Book .

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Shame, as an emotion, has a core meaning, in relating individuals to wider social groups and norms -- real or imagined. Peter N. Stearns
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Guilty people apologize and also take steps to avoid repetition. Shame, in contrast, is a more global emotion, which can emerge in response to the same kind of wrong act and violation of standards. It may develop earlier in life than guilt-- guilt requires more cognitive sorting capacity-- but above all it emphasizes self-abasement. It is the self that is at fault, not the commission of the act. This creates greater pain and intensity than guilt. A shamed person feels very bad indeed-- but also makes it more difficult to escape. Peter N. Stearns