The literature on shame has been burgeoning in recent years—a most welcome circumstance that brings under high-power resolution an aspect of psychoanalytic thinking that has been too much neglected and that deserves more extensive exploration. The subject of shame also touches on a number of crucial areas of psychoanalytic theory that remain problematic and incomplete—such as narcissism, the concept of the self, affects, and the role of each in the psychoanalytic process. Broucek's contribution is thus welcome and offers a substantial addition to that literature.

The book is divided into five sections: the first is an introduction and review of the literature; the second deals with the relation of shame to narcissism and the self; the third looks at the interpersonal aspects of shame, particularly in the context of psychoanalytic therapy; the fourth comments on social implications of shame; and the final section offers the author's conclusions.