Vergüenza (social concept)

Vergüenza directly translates to shame in English, refers to the cultural and social phenomena that shapes, and often constricts Chicana/o and Latina/o lives to a more conservative, traditional mold. The role of vergüenza not only helps mold lives to a traditional mold, but serves primarily to maintain traditional gender roles, and reinforcing familial relations and expectations. Chicana/o scholars were important to theorizing and documenting verguenza, which has contributed to the fields of mental health and sociology.

Verguenza acts as both an external and internal regulator, based on what people think, and living up to those expectations, as well as on an “internalized set of beliefs about what constitutes proper behavior and norms.” A primary factor in vergüenza is the opinion and expectations of others, this comes from different communities one identifies themselves in, including family, friends, neighborhood, as well as their religious affiliations.