No Place to Hide: Facing Shame So We Can Find Self-Respect

According to Nichols, a New York psychiatrist, ``Shame plays a poorly understood but central role in our lives.'' Its manifestations are explored here and interpolated with vignettes illustrating approaches to understanding and coping with this alienating emotion, which is believed to spring from a sense of one's unworthiness. From his practice, as well as from observations of children in learning situations and of families in crisis, Nichols illustrates many forms of shame, ranging from shyness to arrogance and contempt. ``By looking at shame, discovering how it works and how it holds us back, we can begin to overcome its grip.'' A seldom-treated subject receives a balanced presentation in a book readers will find valuable. (Mar.)