SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “GUILT”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Conceptual and methodological issues in the assessment of shame and guilt.

Although shame and guilt are prominently cited in theories of moral behaviour and psychopathology, surprisingly little research has considered these emotions. A key factor hindering research in this area has been a need for psychometrically sound measures of shame and guilt. Fortunately, a number of new measures have been developed in recent years. In this article, I describe the current status of the assessment of these long-neglected emotions, highlighting both conceptual and methodological issues that arise in the measurement of shame and guilt. I begin with a discussion of several definitions of and distinctions between shame and guilt, summarizing the degree to which these alternative conceptualizations have been empirically supported. This background is important when evaluating the relative strengths and weaknesses of a given measurement strategy (e.g. the degree to which a strategy is grounded in a sound conceptual framework). I then describe specific measures of shame and guilt, including dispositional measures (i.e. assessing individual differences in proneness to shame and proneness to guilt across situations) and state measures (i.e. assessing feelings of shame and guilt in the moment), offering my observations on their respective strengths and weaknesses and some suggestions for future measurement development.

Guilt↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The German short version of the interpersonal guilt questionnaire--Validation in a population-based sample and clinical application].

The present study describes the development of the German short version "Fragebogen zu interpersonellen Schuldgefühlen" (FIS) of the "Interpersonal Guilt Questionnaire" (IGQ) developed by O'Connor et al. The questionnaire was used in a representative sample of 652 eastern and 1283 western Germans. Woman show higher scores on the subscales "Seperation Guilt" and "Omnipotent Responsibility Guilt" than man. Eastern Germans mark higher scores on the subscale "Omnipotent Responsibility Guilt" than western Germans. Correlations between interpersonal guilt and social anxiety and differences between a non-clinical and a clinical sample show that maladaptive aspects of guilt feelings can be assessed by the "Interpersonal Guilt Questionnaire".

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Self-image and guilt: a further test of the cognitive-developmental formulation.

The cognitive-developmental formulation of self-image disparity holds that an increasing disparity between the real and ideal self-image is due to (a) increasing differentiation of the real from the ideal self with maturity and (b) the increased capacity for incorporation of social mores with a greater propensity for guilt as a result. Guilt and self-image disparity were assessed in 47 young adults in Study 1, and in 108 children, of varying intellectual abilities, in the 5th, 8th, and 11th grades in Study 2. In both studies, guilt was related to self-image disparity. At all age levels, guilt was related to a higher ideal self-image. Guilt was related to a higher real self-image among 5th graders, but not among older individuals. Brighter children had a higher ideal self-image, greater self-image disparity, and marginally more guilt than children of average intellectual abilities. Guilt and self-image disparity were not related to grade level. The pattern of findings indicated that self-image is influenced by both cognitive-developmental and experiential determinants.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Assessing guilt in adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the role of guilt in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Numerous clinical observations have suggested guilt in adolescents or parents contributes to the development of anorexia nervosa, though systematic assessment of this phenomenon has not been undertaken. METHODS: The Interpersonal Guilt Questionnaire was used to assess types and levels of guilt in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and their parents. RESULTS: We found significantly elevated levels of self-hate guilt in adolescents with anorexia nervosa compared to adolescent norms. However, parents had lower levels of guilt compared to adult norms. CONCLUSION: Self-hate guilt is elevated in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Treatment strategies should take this phenomenon into consideration when developing clinical approaches.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

White guilt and racial compensation: the benefits and limits of self-focus.

In two studies, the authors investigated guilt as a response to group-based advantage. Consistent with its conceptualization as a self-focused emotion, White guilt was based in self-focused beliefs in racial inequality. Thus, guilt was associated with belief in White privilege (Study 1) and resulted from seeing European Americans as perpetrators of racial discrimination (Study 2). Just as personal guilt is associated with efforts at restitution, White guilt was predictive of support for affirmative action programs aimed at compensating African Americans. White guilt was not, however, predictive of support for noncompensatory efforts at promoting equality, such as affirmative action programs that increase opportunities (Study 2). In contrast, the other-focused emotion of group-based sympathy was a more general predictor of support for different affirmative action policies. Our findings demonstrate the benefits and limits of group-based guilt as a basis of support for social equality and highlight the value of understanding the specific emotions elicited in intergroup contexts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Feelings of guilt in major depression. Conceptual and psychometric aspects.

A new scale for the evaluation of feelings of guilt is described. Two types of guilt feeling were of potential interest: 'delusional' guilt or shame (experienced in relation to one's actions), and 'affective' guilt (a more general feeling of unworthiness). Reliability and validity analyses for the first (15-item) version of the scale were performed in three separate and contrasting clinical samples. The second and final (seven-item) version was tested in another sample of major depressives and in normal controls. The HRSD was used as a measure of severity throughout. The BDI and Widlöcher psychomotor retardation scale were also used as external criteria for the seven-item scale. Exploratory factor analysis of this sample yielded two factors--'cognitive/attitudinal' and 'mood/feeling'--of which only the first correlated with scores for psychomotor retardation. It is suggested that these two factors represent two forms of guilt, but that only the former is related to a putative dopaminergic disorder. Guilt scores and measures of severity were not correlated. It is suggested that feelings of guilt should be considered as a behavioural marker for a subtype of depression.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Assessment of shame and guilt and their relationships to psychopathology.

Two studies are reported. First, we tested the previously validated Personal Feelings Questionnaire-2 (PFQ2; Harder & Zalma, 1990) shame and guilt measure and the Adapted Shame and Guilt Scale (ASGS; Hoblitzelle, 1982) Shame subscale against the newly introduced Self-Conscious Affect and Attribution Inventory (SCAAI; Tangney, 1990) for shame and guilt dispositions. Fifty-nine college undergraduates completed randomly ordered personality inventories reflecting constructs theoretically relevant to the presence of shame and guilt proneness. Correlations between the affect measures and personality variables showed evidence of validity for all shame scales. The PFQ2 Guilt subscale also demonstrated construct validity when partialled for shame, but the SCAAI did not. Second, we tested hypotheses regarding the relative importance of shame and guilt to various symptom types (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised; Derogatis, 1983) using 71 college undergraduates. Both emotions were approximately equally related to all major symptom clusters, but there was some evidence for differential patterns of relative importance for shame and guilt to different symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Protecting the sacred and expressions of rituality: examining the relationship between extrinsic dimensions of religiosity and unhealthy guilt.

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between extrinsic religiosity and unhealthy guilt by testing two specific hypotheses. Using multidimensional measures of religious orientation and guilt, among 344 (169 male and 175 female) adults, and consistent with predictions; extrinsic-personal religiosity was found to be related to trait and state guilt, and extrinsic-social religiosity was found to be related to moral standards guilt. The present findings suggest evidence for a present conceptualization of the relationship between extrinsic religiosity and unhealthy guilt as the result of internal and external conflicts. The findings suggest that, when looking at maladaptive guilt among religious clients in clinical, therapeutic or counselling settings, it may be crucial to distinguish between dimensions of extrinsic religiosity and unhealthy guilt.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Relations of empathy and social responsibility to guilt feelings among undergraduate students.

Empathy and social responsibility as related to guilt feelings were investigated among undergraduate students. Subjects (337 men and 353 women) were assessed for guilt feelings, empathy, and social responsibility. The Guilt Inventory was used to assess guilt feelings. Analysis indicated that scores on the two empathy subscales, Fantasy and Personal Distress, were related to rated Trait Guilt and State Guilt, whereas Social Responsibility scores were associated with those on Moral Stan dards of the Guilt Inventory.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Interpersonal correlates of the guilt inventory.

The interpersonal correlates of the Guilt Inventory (Kugler & Jones, 1992), which yields scores for state guilt, trait guilt, and moral standards, were assessed. Data collection addressed three issues including the relationships among Guilt Inventory scores and measures of: (a) interpersonal emotions and traits (e.g., shyness, self-consciousness, anger, etc.); (b) the social support network; and (c) ratings of trait guilt, moral standards, and relevant adjectives by friends and family members. Results indicated that trait and state guilt scores were significantly related to various interpersonal measures, most particularly, depression, anxiety, shyness, and loneliness, but only modestly related to satisfaction with social support. Moral standards were generally unrelated to these variables. Others tended to rate participants higher on trait guilt negatively (e.g., higher on contemptuous, angry, guilty, etc.), and participants higher on moral standards in socially acceptable terms (e.g., higher on prompt, self-reliant, moral, and religious). Results are interpreted in view of the frequently cited distinction between social and nonsocial emotions.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Effects of three PTSD treatments on anger and guilt: exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and relaxation training.

This study sought to investigate the efficacy of prolonged exposure, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and relaxation training on trait anger and guilt and on trauma-related anger and guilt within the context of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. Fifteen PTSD patients completed each treatment and were assessed at posttreatment and at 3-month follow-up. All three treatments were associated with significant reductions in all measures of anger and guilt, with gains maintained at follow-up. There were no significant treatment differences in efficacy or in the proportion of patients who worsened on anger or guilt measures over the course of treatment. Between-treatment effect sizes were generally very small. Results suggest that all three treatments are associated with reductions in anger and guilt, even for patients who initially have high levels of these emotions. However, these PTSD therapies may not be sufficient for treating anger and guilt; additional interventions may be required.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Examining predictors of sex guilt in multiethnic samples of women.

Previous research has shown that attitudes, including sex guilt, may influence the nature and type of sexual practices in which a person engages. This study examined the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and religiosity to sex guilt and aspects of sexual permissiveness that relate to sexual attitudes. Subjects were random samples of 126 African American women and 122 white American women in Los Angeles County. They were interviewed face-to-face and completed the Mosher Forced Choice Sex Guilt subscale. Results indicated that while the association between church attendance and sex guilt was stronger for white than for black women, no significant differences in sex guilt across attendance levels was found for black women. Overall, contrary to previous reports, black women had higher levels of sex guilt than their white peers. The importance of understanding factors including SES and religiosity as they relate to African American and white American women's sexual attitudes and behaviors is discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

A cognitive model of guilt typology in combat-related PTSD.

Dysfunctional guilt is a prominent feature of combat-related, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present article describes a model of combat-related guilt that distinguishes guilt types on the basis of specific false assumptions and errors of logic that are frequently associated with different kinds of traumatic circumstances. Two common types of combat-related guilt based on this conceptualization are described and cognitive relabeling treatment strategies which have a "type" specific focus are outlined. The needs for research on guilt assessment among trauma survivors and for interventions that focus explicitly on guilt management are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Resolution of trauma-related guilt following treatment of PTSD in female rape victims: a result of cognitive processing therapy targeting comorbid depression?

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Although Resick et al. [Resick, P.A., Nishith, P., Weaver, T.L., Astin, M.C., Feuer, C.A., 2002. A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 70, 867-879.] reported comparable results for treating rape-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using either cognitive-processing therapy (CPT) or prolonged exposure (PE), there was some suggestion that CPT resulted in better outcomes than PE for certain aspects of trauma-related guilt. The present study revisited these findings to examine whether this effect was a function of improvement in a subset of participants with both PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD). RESULTS: Results indicated that CPT was just as effective in treating "pure" PTSD and PTSD with comorbid MDD in terms of guilt. Clinical significance testing underscored that CPT was more effective in reducing certain trauma-related guilt cognitions than PE. LIMITATIONS: Findings cannot be generalized to men, and only one measure of guilt was used. CONCLUSIONS: The observed superiority of CPT over PE for treating certain guilt cognitions was not due to participant comorbidity. Further research is recommended to untangle the relationship between guilt, depression and differential response to treatment in PTSD following sexual assault trauma.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Development and validation of the sources of trauma-related guilt survey-war-zone version.

Despite clinical observations that many veterans have multiple sources of war-related guilt, many problematic guilt issues are commonly not treated or even detected by clinicians. We describe development of a survey that systematically assesses idiosyncratic sources of guilt across the spectrum of events that are potential sources of trauma-related guilt from the war-zone. A multimethod strategy was used to develop a survey with strong content validity-Results indicate the survey is temporally stable, substantially correlated with other measures of guilt, and highly correlated with measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Findings confirm that many Vietnam veterans have multiple sources of severe war-related guilt. The survey may have important clinical utility for problem identification, treatment planning, and evaluating treatment efficacy.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Considerations on the vicissitudes of unconscious guilt feelings from pre-adolescence to early adolescence.

The author describes re-edition of the rapprochement subphase (the early period of the second individuation process) occurring from pre-adolescence to early adolescence by means of case presentation. Factors that motivate youngsters to become aware of unconscious guilt in their inner world are discussed in the course of this study. In the pre-adolescent period youngsters begin to develop a conscious guilt more like that of an adult. Under the service of ego, a child modulates from a primitive externalized unconscious guilt conditioned by emotional exchanges with their parents to a more evolved state of self-awareness. Furthermore, it is possible that changes from externalization of unconscious guilt to guilt with which the ego is directly concerned, (that is, internalized guilt), will resolve the infantile relationship that young adolescents have had with their parents and play an important role in developing social independence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

A study of the comparative structure of guilt and shame in a Chinese society.

On the basis of previous theoretical and empirical analyses of the comparative structures of guilt and shame, the authors hypothesized that antecedent condition (personal inadequacy vs. moral norm violation), audience presence, and personal responsibility attribution would distinguish shame from guilt. Although the subject population was Hong Kong Chinese, evidence from previous studies suggests that the comparative structures of guilt and shame are quite similar across cultures. The subjects were asked to recall either a guilt or a shame incident, and their responses were then coded into the predictor variables. The results of the study indicated that guilt was most likely to emerge when individuals had violated a moral norm and held themselves responsible for their conduct. In contrast, shame emerged more frequently when subjects felt personally inadequate than when they had violated moral norms. Moreover, when a guilt incident was reported, and audience was rarely mentioned, whereas subjects who reported a shame incident would generally feel personally responsible and often mentioned being looked at or evaluated. However, neither personal responsibility nor the presence of an audience seemed to be essential for a person to experience shame.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Guilt about first intercourse: an antecedent of sexual dissatisfaction among college women.

First sexual intercourse is often viewed as a rite of passage to adulthood. While one's initial coital experience may lead to affirmation of self-identity, it is disappointing for many, resulting in feelings of guilt and shame. If guilt feelings do emerge, the likelihood of future sexual dissatisfaction is greatly increased. In particular, women with high levels of sexual guilt tend to perceive less sexual arousal, resulting in less enjoyment from their sexual encounters. The purposes of this investigation were to identify those factors correlated with feeling guilty about first sexual intercourse and to examine the influence of guilt about first intercourse on current sexual satisfaction. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to never-married college women, with the subsample for this investigation consisting of 570 women. Significant variables correlated with guilt at first sexual intercourse include uncommunicative mother and father figures, overstrict father figure, uncomfortableness with sexuality, physiological and psychological sexual dissatisfaction with first intercourse, guilt feelings about current intercourse, and psychological sexual dissatisfaction. These findings have substantial implications for sex researchers, sex therapists, family therapists, and sexuality educators who wish to promote healthy sexuality, through both attitudes and behavior.

Adolescent↗