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Unlearning Shame

How We Can Reject Self-Blame Culture and Reclaim Our Power

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Unlearning Shame

By: Devon Price PhD
Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
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Learn to identify—and combat—Systemic Shame, the feeling of self-hatred and disempowerment that comes from living in a society that blames individuals for systemic problems, with this invaluable resource from the social psychologist and author of Unmasking Autism.

Systemic Shame is the socially engineered self-loathing that says we are solely to blame for our circumstances. It tells us that poverty is remedied by hard-working people pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, that marginalized people are personally responsible for solving the problem of their own oppression, and that massive global crises like climate change can be solved with individual action. Feeling overwhelmed? That’s your problem, too. The more we try and ultimately fail to live up to impossible societal standards of moral goodness, the more shame we feel—and the more we retreat into isolation and despair.

Social psychologist Dr. Devon Price knows firsthand the destructive effects of Systemic Shame; he experienced shame and self-hatred as he grappled with his transgender identity, feeling as if his suffering was caused by his own actions rather than systems like cissexism. And it doesn’t just end with internal feelings of anguish. It causes us to judge other people the same way we fear being judged, which blocks us from seeking out the acceptance and support we need and discourages us from trying to improve our communities and our relationships.

In Unlearning Shame, Dr. Price explores how we can deal with those hard emotions more effectively, tackling the societal shame we’ve absorbed and directed at ourselves. He introduces the antidote to Systemic Shame: expansive recognition, an awareness of one’s position in the larger social world and the knowledge that our battles are only won when they are shared. He provides a suite of exercises and resources designed to combat Systemic Shame on a personal, interpersonal, and global level through rebuilding trust in yourself, in others, and in our shared future.

By offering a roadmap to healing and a toolkit of actionable items, Unlearning Shame helps us reject hopelessness and achieve sustainable change and personal growth.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF which contains exercises, tools, and prompts from the book. Social Psychology & Interactions Mental Health Social justice Personal Development Psychology & Mental Health Emotions Social Sciences Discrimination Self-Esteem Psychology Popular Culture Health

Critic reviews

“With the authentic voice I’ve grown to expect from Devon, he raises an issue that could not be more timely. This book articulates a feeling that has lurked in the dark corners of so many minds and brings it into the light where it can be faced, embraced, and, ultimately, healed. Stop doomscrolling and read this book. You’ll feel better, I promise.”—Celeste Headlee, journalist and bestselling author
Profound Insights • Comprehensive Research • Transformative Content • Practical Suggestions • Multifaceted Perspective

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systemic shame is real and we must combat it to collectively improve our countries mental health. This is an important book and I hope it gets the traction it deserves

this is a must read for westerners

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Every time he publishes a book Devon Price, PhD manages to speak to exactly what I need to hear. My relationship to work needed to be shaken when he published Laziness Does Not Exist. Unmasking Autism was a personal awakening for me that can’t be understated. And now he has given me an answer for the unbearable angst I feel as I oscillate between self-important saviorism and frustrated nihilism. If he happens to read this review, I would want him to know that his work is has been so meaningful to me. Thank you for your books.

Another life-changing title from Dr. Devon Price

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Devon Price is among my favorite pragmatic philosophers and this book is an incredible fusion of personal discovery, liberation theory, cultural psychohistory, and oh so much more. His innovative concept of Expansive Recognition introduced here has huge potential for conceptually grasping and practicing the idea that individualism ain’t gonna get us out of our angst but together we can messily change big things here and there. Devon Price’s wise humanity shines again.

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the author is very clear and I see better how systemic shame has affected many - particularly me and my family.

he spent a lot of time discussing activism within various marginalized groups. this included some tips and pointers on establishing activist groups and protests. I thought this detected from the overall thesis of shame.

I appreciated his personal stories of shame regarding LGBTQI and neurodivergent issues.

Systemic Shame

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The way this book weaved a web in my mind and heart! So powerful. So grateful to have read it.

Life affirming and life changing read

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