Financial shame can lead people to avoid seeking or accepting help with their financial problems. We expect that attenuating feelings of shame motivates people to seek help. To test this...Show moreFinancial shame can lead people to avoid seeking or accepting help with their financial problems. We expect that attenuating feelings of shame motivates people to seek help. To test this expectation, we conduct an experiment in which we present participants with an alleged website of an organisation that provides financial advice. They are presented with one of two versions. In one version the communication of the organisation is geared toward attenuating feelings of shame, whereas in the other it is not. As hypothesized, participants who experienced less shame perceived the organisation as more positive and were more likely to contact or recommend the organisation to friends or family, and these people dealt with the financial situation more constructively (hypothesis 1a-1c). Contrary to our hypothesis, only people with higher shame perceived the organisation as less positive and people with higher shame and stigma would contact or recommend the organisation less often to friends or family and handled their financial situation less constructively (hypothesis 2a-2c).Show less
This study aimed to explore possible implications to tackle obstacles that prevent people from contacting their creditors when facing financial hardship. It is found that people living in poverty...Show moreThis study aimed to explore possible implications to tackle obstacles that prevent people from contacting their creditors when facing financial hardship. It is found that people living in poverty often do not use the available help, leaving them with social withdrawal. We identified two possible reasons for the problem. The first is the experienced shame, the second is the perceived control. This study, therefore, examined the effect of experienced shame and perceived control on behavioral tendencies. Specifically, it investigated whether addressing shame and inducing control in a negative financial situation has an impact on willingness to contact one’s creditor. To test our hypothesis, an online study was distributed to people who experience or have experienced financial hardship. Results showed no increase in willingness to contact when shame was addressed. An increase in willingness to contact was found when control was induced. Exploratively, it was found that addressing shame and inducing control combined increased a person’s willingness to contact. The results indicated that control had a positive effect on the relation between shame and avoidant tendencies. Finally, this study discusses the theoretical and practical implications, along with its limitations and directions for future research.Show less
Negative financial situations such as debt or poverty affect the individual on the material level, as well as on the perceptions of the self, inducing social and mental health struggles....Show moreNegative financial situations such as debt or poverty affect the individual on the material level, as well as on the perceptions of the self, inducing social and mental health struggles. Financially dire situations can result in feelings of shame, impacting the chances of the individual reaching our for help. We investigate whether inducing shame resilience in people facing debt can increase the willingness to contact a creditor for financial help. Hypothesizing that shame resilience and a sense of belongingness can increase this willingness to contact, we conducted an online survey and measured recall in two conditions: the manipulation condition where a creditor email primes shame resilience, and a control condition consisting of a standard email, then we measured the willingness to contact the creditor company in each group. The results showed that after reading the manipulation condition email which gave reassurance about feeling shameful for one’s financial situation, participants were more likely to contact the company for financial help compared to the control condition. These significant results suggest that working towards building shame resilience can be a great tool to utilize in future research where the relationship between shame and seeking out financial help is measured.Show less
Research indicates that financial hardship is often accompanied by feelings of shame which in general leads to individuals to showing avoidance behavior. Particularly, individuals experiencing...Show moreResearch indicates that financial hardship is often accompanied by feelings of shame which in general leads to individuals to showing avoidance behavior. Particularly, individuals experiencing financial shame oftentimes partake into avoidance behavior when it comes to financial support. This study aimed to investigate whether shame resilience increases the willingness to contact a creditor and whether shame resilience decreases avoidance action tendencies of individuals experiencing financial hardship. A between-subject design was implemented whereat participants in the shame resilience group (N = 64) were compared to participants in the control group (N = 69). Within an online experiment, the randomly assigned participants recalled a financial hardship experience, read one out of two creditor letters, and were presented with several Likert-scale questions. Participants in the shame resilience group reported higher levels of a willingness to contact compared to the participants in the control group. Regarding the voidance action tendencies, three items were analysed separately due to a low reliability. No differences were found on refuse action and distract action tendencies between the participants in both groups. However, participants in the shame resilience group reported lower levels of ignore action tendencies compared to the participants in the control group. Potential explanations for this, additional findings, strengths, and limitations are discussed and implications for future research are proposed.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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As the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify...Show moreAs the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify shame as a barrier. Moreover, they experience a lack of acknowledgement when communicating with creditors. Given the human need for acknowledgement and the suggestion that acknowledgement can reduce shame, the current study examined the effect of acknowledgement on indebted people’s willingness to contact the creditor and explored the role of financial shame. To this end, 206 native English-speaking people with current or past debts completed an online experiment in which they read either a standard creditor letter or a creditor letter in which the creditor acknowledged the situation of the person in debt. Willingness to contact the creditor and financial shame did not differ between participants who read a creditor letter in which their situations were acknowledged and those whose read a standard creditor letter. However, higher financial shame was associated with lower willingness to contact. We conclude that acknowledging indebted people’s situations is not enough to increase their willingness to contact the creditor. Future research could test other ways to address and reduce the financial shame.Show less
