FEELING SHAME A 16
-year-old Maryland boy who is serving time in a juvenile-detention center for sexually molesting his 9-year-old sister wants to go home. But before Montgomery county court officials will release him, the boy must convince his family that he feels an emotion that for decades has been either scorned as destructive to self-esteem or dismissed as hopelessly old-fashioned. He must prove that he feels a sense of shame. In this case, showing that he is ashamed means not just admitting his crime and apologizing to his sister, but literally getting down on his knees. the kneeling is only one part of a lengthy rehabilitation process… “They need to understand that what they did was so bad that they must get into a body posture that says ‘repentance’ – the words are not enough,” says the director of the treatment center. Her colleague adds, “In our society, we use the same words – ‘I’m sorry’ – to apologize for raping your daughter…
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