The feeling of shame in the younger preschool age
The paper presents the results of an empirical study on the relationship of body shame and moral shame, ideas about the body and self-esteem at the younger preschool age. The study confirms the assumption that moral shame and body shame are related to each other in ontogenesis, and this connection mediates the development of preschoolers’ understanding of their bodies and the level of self-esteem. The study was conducted at preschool departments of educational complexes in Moscow. The sample included 56 children aged 4.3 to 5.4, among them 25 girls and 31 boys. The following methods were used in the study: V.G. Schur’s “Ladder” method of studying self-assessment (adapted version); the author’s drawing technique for studying the attitude to body shame (a series of situation pictures); the author’s drawing technique for studying the attitude to moral shame (a series of situation pictures); the “Body Shame” structured conversation for younger preschoolers; the “Moral Shame” structured conversation for younger preschoolers; and diagnosis of knowledge of body parts. The following patterns are found: the relationship between children’s understanding of bodily limitations and moral limitations in behavior; between orientation towards the rules of appearance, on the one side, and orientation towards the observance of property rights and the ideas about the unacceptability of aggression against peers, on the other side. Ideas about body shame combined with positive attitude to one’s appearance are also statistically significantly associated with an orientation towards generosity in younger preschoolers. The age of children is a factor that to a significant degree mediates the relationship between moral shame and body shame. The age of children is also closely related to the orientation to social norms of behavior. Further, a significant bilateral positive connection was found between the age of children and the indicators of awareness of what is good and what is bad. Younger preschoolers showed a statistically significant positive association between age and ideas about their own bodies.