恥辱可能會傷害我們，但到底什么是恥辱，它是如何產生的？本期 “隨身英語” 討論恥辱對人的影響以及應對它的方式。

詞匯：humiliation 恥辱

Humiliation. Many of us have experienced it, right? That horrific feeling of just wanting the ground to open up and swallow us. It’s an awful sensation when someone decides to belittle us and make us feel small. But what is humiliation, and how can we move on from it?

Humiliation is quite often compared to the feeling of shame. However, the fundamental difference is that we feel shame is deserved, while humiliation is not. It has more in common with bullying and harassment. Neel Burton M.D says that humiliation results from undermining claims that you have made, such as “I’m good at my job”, and challenges your authority to make such claims in future.

Imagine your colleague shocks you by unfairly calling you out on your work during a meeting with your boss. Or your friend may demean you by questioning your expertise in a hobby or interest in front of your other friends.  The presence of others is the key factor in humiliation – a public dressing-down. It also has so many forms and uses in society. Public humiliation is often said to act as a crime deterrent, while it also has a place in comedy. You may enjoy watching a celebrity being roasted: a humiliation designed to highlight faults for comedic effect.

So, how can you deal with it? According to psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, there are a few steps you can take. First, you must accept the humiliation and realise you’re not the only one who has felt like this – talk to others who have experienced it and move on. Also, don’t immediately try and strike back for ‘round 2’ – often humiliation isn't personal. 

Lastly, resilience seems to be crucial. Some people say: “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”. While humiliation probably won’t kill you, it can hurt. Why not use the degradation as motivation to become a better worker or learn more about that hobby or interest? It could be an opportunity to start investing more in doing something you love. That way it may have an unexpected benefit.

詞匯表

horrific 極其可怕的
wanting the ground to open up and swallow sb 某人想找個地縫鉆進去
awful 糟糕的，極壞的
belittle 輕視，貶低
make sb feel small 讓某人感到渺小
shame 羞恥，慚愧
bullying 恃強欺弱的行為
harassment 騷擾行為
undermine 削弱信心，損害
call sb out 批評
demean 貶低，羞辱
dressing-down 訓斥
roasted 被嚴厲批評
fault 缺點，過錯
move on 接受現實，繼續前行
strike back 回擊
resilience 面對逆境頑強的韌性
degradation 丟臉，屈辱

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false? Shame and humiliation are the same.

2. What experiences are similar to humiliation?

3. What factor is key for humiliation to work?

4. Why do people roast celebrities?

5. What could be the unexpected benefit of humiliation?

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. When he said that, I felt completely _______.

belittle                       belittles               belittling              belittled

2. I just wanted the ground to _______ up and swallow me!

open                          begin                 start                     empty

3. Revenge isn’t always the answer – think twice before you _______.

make us feel small    strike back          resilience            roasted

4. They’re _______ my favourite celebrity on the TV tonight!

roast                          roasted               roasting              roasts

5. You need to be tougher and show more _______.

shame                       belittle                 strike back         resilience

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false? Shame and humiliation are the same.
False. We feel shame is deserved, while humiliation is not. 

2. What experiences are similar to humiliation?
It is similar to bullying and harassment.

3. What factor is key for humiliation to work?
The fact that other people are present is key for humiliation to work.

4. Why do people roast celebrities?
For comedic effect. 

5. What could be the unexpected benefit of humiliation?
It could be motivation to become a better worker or learn more about a hobby or interest.

2 . 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. When he said that, I felt completely belittled.

2. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me!

3. Revenge isn’t always the answer – think twice before you strike back.

4. They’re roasting my favourite celebrity on the TV tonight!                                       

5. You need to be tougher and show more resilience.