Self-Conscious Emotions of Nina Mosley

Nina Mosley was actively a self-reflective person in her life. She often checked in with herself to gauge what she wanted to do before doing it. This week, we aim to identify how Nina Mosley experiences self-conscious emotions toward herself and how her appraisals about her life and love might impact her behaviors.

Nina experiences the self-conscious emotion of shame when she realizes the emotional toll of her decision to rekindle with her ex-finance Marvin in New York City. Despite the growing relationship with Darius, Nina wanted to see the potential opportunity of reuniting with Marvin in a new city. In a way, Nina suggests that the timing and new environment may also mean a new start for her and Marvin. The emotion of shame is triggered by a desire to be loyal and fair, making it difficult for her to move on. Her true desires are causing a conflict with her actions based on this one emotion of shame.

Nina’s appraisal at this moment in the movie shows that she knows her behavior may have led her to hurt Darius and send mixed signals. Her attribution is internal, and she sees the consequences of her own actions. Her actions made her an emotional mess; however, seeking closure with Marvin also aids her with the information to finally move on. Nina’s shame reflects her self-evaluation of her values of commitment and transparency. Nina’s self-conscious emotion of shame is internal and centered around her sense of self. She makes her own judgment and decision-making rather than a single choice. Her appraisal of the situation is connected to her identity and character that she is managing, which is why she experiences shame rather than guilt.