Shame and Guilt in India: Declining Social Control and The Role Of Education

Abstract

Contemporary Indian society struggles to arrest moral erosion, as traditional social control mechanisms backed by shame have declined. The article argues that unless individual self-control based on a re-configurated morality emphasising shame as well as guilt is sufficiently strengthened, the present negative spiral cannot be reversed. Differences between shame culture and guilt culture are explored to identify how socialisation and education as key mechanisms for transmitting values and morality may be revamped to nurture better consciousness and moral renewal. Educational strategies would need to emphasise duties rather than rights, already reflected in constitutional guidance about Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution. Thus, a rational, secular approach that trusts educators to deliver value-based education in India without necessarily strengthening Hindu nationalist tendencies is suggested as a viable way forward.