Shame, Guilt, and Suicide

Abstract

In the early afternoonofMay 16, 1998, Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda left his office at the Pentagon and headed for his home at the Washington Navy Yard. Once there, he pulled out a .38-caliber pistol, placed the muzzle against his chest, and pulled the trigger, in effect ending what had been, by all accounts, an exemplary life and distinguished careerwith the United States Navy. Adm. Boorda's suicide came just hours before he was to be questioned by Newsweek magazine about the legitimacy of two of his many military medals: two bronze 'V' pins, awarded fbr valor in combat. Adm. Boorda's suicide stunned his family and friends and sent shock waves through the U.S. Navy. Why had he committed suicide? In one suicide note, officials said, "he wrote about how he cared about the core values d the Navy-honor, courage, and commitment-and about how he would be viewed," suggesting that one possible reason behind Adm. Boorda's suicide was an overwhelming sense of shame at having brought disgrace and dishonor upon himself and the U.S. Navy, which he loved so much. Is it possible that this strong, dedicated and battle-hardened Navy Admiral was shamed to death? Can feelings of shame lead to suicide? The connection between shame and suicide can be seen as farback as twelfth century Japanese society (Pinguet, 1993). The act of seppuku (also referred to as harakiri), meaning incision of the abdomen, was a highly ritualized, traditional form of suicide among samurai warriors faced with great shame and/or a loss of face. Negative affectivestates have often been cited as prominent factors among people considering suicide. Early research in suicidology focused on sociological influences and resulted in a typology that emphasized an individual's degree of social integration as the main etiological factor in suicide (Durkheim, 1966). More