The relatively recent propagation of the specialty of Family Medicine in Greece has created a new reality in the Greek society. This resulted in the “co-inhabitation” of the Family Medicine specialists and the Internal Medicine specialists in various Primary Care units of the country.

To investigate the internal and external shame of the residents in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine and the comparison of both groups.

To demonstrate the distinct role that Family doctors must have in Primary Care.

102 Greek resident doctors, 52 specializing in Family Medicine and 50 specializing in Internal Medicine participated in the study. The scientific tools used were: a)the Other As Shamer Scale, b) the Experience of Shame Scale, c) the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, d) The Symptom Checklist-90-R, e) Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.

Comparing the two groups using the T-Test, it was observed that the residents of Family Medicine showed a statistically significant higher mean value compared to the residents Internal Medicine in the subscales of: characterological shame, behavioral shame, bodily shame, total shame, emptiness, criticism of others, self-criticism, guilt, intropunitiveness, total hostility, neuroticism and an statistically lower mean value compared to the residents of Internal Medicine in the subscales of: mistakes, Anxiety, Phobic Anxiety and Psychotism.

The results of the study are supporting the common belief that the specialty of Family Medicine has not yet obtained a specific and distinct role and furthermore has not yet gained the necessary recognition by the Greek society.