The Moralizing Effect: self-directed emotions and their impact on culpability attributions.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

A general trend in the psychological literature suggests that guilt contributes to morality more than shame does. Unlike shame-prone individuals, guilt-prone individuals internalize the causality of negative events, attribute responsibility in the first person, and engage in responsible behavior. However, it is not known how guilt- and shame-proneness interact with the attribution of responsibility to others.

Methods

In two Web-based experiments, participants reported their attributions of moral culpability (i.e., responsibility, causality, punishment and decision-making) about morally ambiguous acts of killing in different conditions. In Study 1 the vignettes were presented in the 1st person, while in Study 2 in the 3rd person. To test proneness to guilt and sh

SUBMITTER: Sirgiovanni E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10717113 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature