126 Journal of College Counseling ■ July 2017 ■ Volume 20 © 2017 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved. Received 02/19/14 Revised 05/10/14 Accepted 06/14/14 DOI: 10.1002/jocc.12065 Experiencing Shame: Collegiate Alcohol Abuse, Religiosity, and Spirituality Elizabeth A. Prosek, Amanda L. Giordano, Jessica M. Holm, Cynthia M. Bevly, Kristy M. Sender, Zachary B. Ramsey, and Meagan R. Abernathy Previous researchers have established the relationship between substance abuse and shame and religiosity/ spirituality and shame.This study investigated the associations among shame, religiosity, spirituality, and drink- ing behavior in a college student sample (N = 310). Participants classified as hazardous drinkers reported higher levels of shame associated with drinking behavior. Elements of religiosity and spirituality significantly explained state shame among hazardous drinkers. Implications for college counselors are presented. Keywords: shame, substance abuse, college students, religiosity, spirituality A lthough shame and guilt are often used interchangeably, H. B. Lewis (1971) distinguished them as separate functions of the superego. The focal point of shame is the self, whereas the focus of guilt is an act or failing. Indeed, Tangney and Dearing (2002) furthered this assertion by noting that the primary difference between shame and guilt is the role of the self: Guilt reflects negative evaluation of behavior, whereas shame reflects negative evaluation of oneself. For example, a shameful person may say “I am bad,” whereas a guilty person may say “My behavior was bad.” Shame can be measured in the moment (state shame) or as a trait or characteristic (shame proneness). State shame repre- sents a self-perception of shame related to a particular event (Turner, 1998). Shame proneness represents an individual’s overall susceptibility to feel shame (Dearing, Stuewig, & Tangney, 2005). Empirical investigations demonstrated the potential for guilt to be a positive, motivating factor; however, shame did not appear to result in positive consequences (Tangney, 1991). In fact, researchers who investigated shame suggested the potential for negative consequences as a result of the emotion (Chilton, 2012). Possible negative consequences of shame include lower levels of psychological adjustment (Lynch, Hill, Nagoshi, & Nagoshi, 2012), lower levels of self-efficacy (Baldwin, Baldwin, & Ewald, 2006), and decreased life satisfaction (Murray & Ciarrocchi, 2007). Another possible negative consequence of shame with particular salience to the current study is substance abuse, which Wiechelt (2007) described as both a precursor and a consequence of shame. Substance Abuse and Shame Researchers have found an association between substance abuse and shame (Dearing et al., 2005; Treeby & Bruno, 2012). Specifically, shame-prone students reported Elizabeth A. Prosek, Amanda L. Giordano, Jessica M. Holm, Cynthia M. Bevly, Kristy M. Sender, Zachary B. Ramsey, and Meagan R. Abernathy, Department of Counseling and Higher Education, University of North Texas. Jessica M. Holm is now at Department of Psychology and Counseling, University of Texas–Tyler. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Elizabeth A. Prosek, Department of Counseling and Higher Education, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #310829, Denton, TX 76203 (e-mail: Elizabeth.Prosek@unt.edu).