Shame proneness, guilt proneness and psychopathology

Abstract

In this work some definitions concerning shame and guilt and also some similarities and differences between these two concepts are dwelled on. The role of shame and guilt within psychopathology and some empirical researches on the relationship between psychopathology and shame/guilt are presented. Another point is the relationship between gender and the proneness to shame and guilt.

It is generally argued that shame and guilt are originated from the negative emotions as a reaction to personal failures and transgressions. Despite of some similarities between shame and guilt, augmenting theoretical and empirical literature on the subject have underlined some considerable differences between these two emotional experiences. Majority of the researches asserted that these two emotions can be distinguished from each other according to the fact that individual focuses on whether his/her own behaviour or his/her self in the process of self evaluation. Shame experience is related to the self as a focus of direct evaluation. The focus in guilt is rather on the behaviour” itself which is either conducted or not. Although shame and guilt are functional for individual and social life, undoubtly they may also lead some serious social and emotional problems if they are experienced in a intense and chronic way. The most comprehensive discussion of shame and guilt in psychopathology can be found in analytically oriented theories. These theories, however, vary considerably in their emphasis on shame and guilt. Earlier psychoanalytic perspective mainly focused on the psychopathological implications of guilt. More recently the shame has been the key concept in psychodynamic consideration of psychopathology. Because of the difficulties in measuring shame and guilt, empirical researches on the relationship between psychopathology and shame and guilt are far behind of theoretical approaches on the subject. It is explored that in the researches in which the measuring tools created on the base of distinction between “self” and “behaviour” are employed are found that there is a neglectable relationship between guilt proneness and psychopathology and also a negative relation between shame-free guilt and psychological symptoms. However, it is denoted that shame proneness is closely related to the most psychological problems. It is asserted in almost all researches that females showed higher level of shame and guilt than the males.