Exploration of Personality Traits, Shame, Guilt and Experience in Close Relationships among Classical Male Dancers

Male classical dancers frequently experience marginalization and discrimination in Indian society. In the context of classical male dancers in Kolkata, this study examined the association between feelings of shame and guilt, interpersonal experiences, and the HEXACO personality traits such as honesty- humility, and emotionality. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the 50 classical male dancers. Following by procurement of the consent, the State Shame and Guilt Scale, the Experience in Close Relationships Scale, and the HEXACO-60 Personality Inventory-Revised were administered to collect data. The findings indicate that state guilt is inversely correlated with HEXACO-60 domains of honesty-humility and conscientiousness; whereas, state shame is inversely correlated with all six domains. There is a positive correlation between avoidant attachment style and state shame. Agreeableness and extraversion are positively correlated with an anxious attachment style, whereas an avoidant attachment style is associated with a lower openness to experience and a higher state of shame. This study aims to initiate a larger conversation about gender stereotypes and gender-based discrimination in the performing arts.