Förklara skulden – Sanera skammen - En analys av överskuldsattas berättelser

Abstract

Being in-debt is considered “normal” in a sense since we are in many ways required to become in-debt in order to provide a place to live, appliances and furniture or to get an education. Many of these necessities we pay for in retrospect. The economic system is organized around consumption both when we have and do not have money to cover the expenses. Being too much in-debt though, is not considered “normal”. Overindebtedness not only entails serious debt problems, people in this situation also experience that others perceive them as morally lacking consequently leading to feelings of shame. Through qualitative interviews with insolvents this report aims to provide a greater understanding for people living greatly in debt. The social and emotional realm of their situation is the focus of this research and the way they narrate their story of indebtedness to make sense of their situation. The purpose of this report is to answer the following questions: How do insolvents describe, explain and give meaning to their situation?; What forms of shame do these insolvents express and what role does shame play in how they relate to their situation?; What significance do meetings with authorities and the decision to undergo Debt Reconstruction have for their self-image and the way they deal with experiences of shame? The interviewees explain their overindebtedness as being a result of outer causes they could not foresee and therefore beyond their control not as a consequence of financial carelessness. Still, they experience different types of shame and shaming from others depending on the social relations in which shame is given and taken. Meeting authorities can either be a situation where one is shamed or one where claims of sympathy are being met. In the narratives the need for sympathy is expressed, being met with sympathy reduces the feelings of shame repairing their self-image and heals social bonds.