Imagine being questioned about complex technical knowledge in front of your peers, supervisors, and members of the public—knowing that a wrong answer could lead to public ridicule. This is the reality ...

This article examines the role of humiliation in exacerbating these conflicts. Intractable conflict expert, Jen Goldman-Wetzler, is the CEO of Alignment Strategies Group and author of the book, ...

A year has passed since the brutal murder of George Floyd by the police. A year of countless protests, endless talks about inclusion and anti-racism, and millions holding their breath while watching ...

Experiencing public humiliation can feel excruciatingly challenging and confidence-crushing, especially for leaders of organizations who thrive on appearing that they have it all together. But as we ...

Embarrassment, shame, guilt, and humiliation all imply the existence of value systems. Whereas shame and guilt are the outcome of self-appraisal, embarrassment and humiliation are the outcome of ...

I must have been about seven years old, a junior in my prep school. I was standing in the dining hall surrounded by over a hundred senior boys and schoolmasters, all looking at me, some with pity, ...

I picked up Stephen Nissenbaum’s The Battle for Christmas a few months ago to read some Christmas history. I found one section in the book pretty disturbing. It describes a late 19th-century activity ...

Back in the 1980s, stack-ranking employees was seen as a state-of-the-art management practice. CEOs like Jack Welch at GE divided employees into three distinct segments: the top 20% of performers, the ...

If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Welcome to Couldn’t Be Me, a weekly advice column where I solicit your personal dilemmas and help out as ...