Anger, Shame and Justice: The Regulative Function of Emotions in the Ancient and Modern World

Analyzing the ancient Greek point of view concerning anger, shame and justice and a very modern one, one can see, that anger has a regulative function, but shame does as well. Anger puts the other in his place, thereby regulating hierarchies. Shame regulates the social relations of recognition. And both emotions also have an evaluative function, because anger evaluates a situation with regard to a humiliation; shame, with regard to a misdemeanor. In addition, attention has to be paid to the correct molding of these emotions and the correct ways of using them in rearing to be good or just (i.e., in personality formation.