The study aimed to conceptually define “shame” within the field of nursing.

Many nurses sometimes experience and struggle with shame in their professional lives. It reduces their sense of self‐worth and hampers emotional well‐being and efficacy at work.

The conceptual analysis was performed using Walker and Avant's method.

We searched using Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection databases for literature published between 1980 and 2020.

We searched for keywords “shame,” “nurse,” and “nursing,” with the condition that the keywords must be included in the title or abstract.

Shame in the nursing field was defined as a negative emotion, an experience of self‐blame and anger, an emotion accompanied by social anxiety, loneliness, and influenced by society and culture. Shame in the nursing field has three antecedents: negative evaluation, the involvement of others, and social and affiliated‐group norms. Consequences of shame in nursing include decreased senses of self‐esteem and self‐efficacy, escape through defense mechanisms, depressive states, and alleviation of distress through reaffirmation of self‐promotion and reflection leading to personal growth.

We clarified the significance of self, others, others' evaluations, and differences in socio‐cultural contexts while defining shame.