Financial hardship and avoidance: The promising role of shame-resilience and willingness to contact.

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Psychology (MSc)

Taylor, Tumaini T (2023)

Financial hardship and avoidance: The promising role of shame-resilience and willingness to contact.

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

The study aims to investigate whether applying the shame-resilience theory (SRT) could increase debtors’ willingness to contact their creditors (Brown, 2006). Shame is associated with two elements: powerlessness and being trapped. Feelings of being trapped occur when debtors feel that they have failed to adhere to societal norms due to a lack of alternatives (Frye, 2001). Powerlessness occurs when debtors experience a lack of control. We hypothesized that, by reducing the feelings associated with shame, powerlessness and being trapped, could lead to an increase in the debtors’ willingness to contact (WTC). The data was gathered through an online survey from 182 participants who were divided into four conditions; control, power, trapped and combined. The results provided evidence that reducing the feeling of powerlessness leads to an increase in debtors' willingness to contact. However, reducing the feelings of being trapped or a combined reduction did not produce similar results.

(shame

shame-resilience

shame resilience theory

Willingness to contact

Establish contact

Stigma