Self-Conscious Emotions



11.  Self-Conscious Emotions. When did your character display a self-conscious emotion (pride, embarrassment, guilt, or shame/humiliation)? What concomitants (i.e., co-occurrences) of cognitions, motivations, and /or behaviors (choose at least aspects) did your character have——that is, why did he/she experience the self-conscious emotion; how did if affect his/her motivations or behaviors?



      Shep was the best friend of Vivi's first love, who died in the war; Shep and Vivi began dating longer down the road, eventually marrying and having children.  As an older woman, Vivi has a revelation about her marriage.  She realizes that she has put her husband, Shep, through hell time and time again; yet, he is always there to pick up the pieces (her alcoholism; her nervous breakdown; her post-traumatic stress, etc.).  There is one night when she sits down with him at the table and asks, "Have I ruined your life?"  Her thoughts (revealed in the book) explain that, deep down, she always knew that she had taken advantage of Shep's unconditional love and patience towards her, always taking it for granted.  However, this is the first time that she really stops to consciously reflect on it.  She breaks down in tears, feeling immense guilt over the fact that she has always taken Shep for granted. 
      Her motivation to repair her marriage (her and her husband sleep in separate rooms) is implied to be driven by the deterioration of her relationship with her daughter, Sidda.  In reflecting over the wedge between her and Sidda and coming to terms with the fact that it is her own fault, she begins analyzing and reflecting on all of her intimate relationships (familial and otherwise).  The result is an overwhelming sense of guilt and a desire for forgiveness. 

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