Question

James F. Gilligan is a professor of psychiatry and the clinical director of a prison mental health service. He states, “I have yet to see a serious act of violence that was not provoked by the experience of feeling shamed and humiliated, disrespected and ridiculed, and that did not represent the attempt to prevent or undo this ‘loss of face’—no matter how severe the punishment, even if it includes death.” How do his comments relate to Jeanne’s father? What do they suggest about the relationship between respect and self-esteem? Do you agree or dis- agree? Why?

Answer 1

Explanation:

The comments of James F. Gilligan relate to Jeanne’s father in that his own son violently confronted him because of the feeling of shame he brought on their mother.

Remember, we were told that Jeanne's father, "takes out his anger on his  wife" and later threatened to kill his wife; that's exactly what James F. Gilligan was referring to when he said,... "the experience of feeling shamed and humiliated, disrespected and ridiculed", it is this feeling that brought about the violent confrontation by his son.

What this suggests is that the relationship between respect and self-esteem is not unifying. In other words, the quest for self-esteem can result in disrespect.