Research literature on homelessness makes frequent reference to shame, but with little inquiry into the role shame may play in the lives of homeless men. This study used Consensual Qualitative Research methodology (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997) to interview 24 men in a small Midwestern city to explore how homeless men experience shame. The results from this study indicate that shame is experienced as a "painful sense of worthlessness and failure" whereby men attribute their homelessness to their own perceived characterological flaws. To avoid the painful experience of shame and stigma, homeless men appear to develop and use defense strategies. While the defense strategies may help alleviate the effects of shame and stigma in the immediate, the strategies appear to negatively affect opportunities that facilitate an exodus from homelessness. This study also found that despite living in a transitional shelter, rare mention was made of plans to exit homelessness. Presented too are the limitations and implications of this research.
Dissertation
Homeless men: exploring the experience of shame
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2014
DOI: 10.17077/etd.sgp1g82z
Free to read and download, Open Access
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Homeless men: exploring the experience of shame
- Creators
- Kevin L. Fall - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- William M. Liu (Advisor)Saba Rasheed Ali (Committee Member)Alison Bianchi (Committee Member)Stewart W. Ehly (Committee Member)John Westefeld (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2014
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.sgp1g82z
- Number of pages
- vi, 128 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2014 Kevin Fall
- Language
- English
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-128).
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9983777026602771
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