Are shame, guilt, and embarrassment distinct emotions?

Tangney, June P.; Miller, Rowland S.; Flicker, Laura; Barlow, Deborah Hill

doi:10.1037//0022-3514.70.6.1256

Cited by 249 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The current study aimed to provide empirical evidence for the theoretically proposed relationships between perceived pressure to breastfeed, quality of health care professional support, infant feeding method, guilt, shame and post‐natal depression and anxiety. This supports concept exclusivity and substantiates pre‐existing definitions of guilt and shame to an infant feeding context (Gilbert, 2003 ; Jackson et al, 2021b ; Leeming et al, 2021 ; Lutwak & Ferrari, 1996 ; Niedenthal et al, 1994 ; Tangney et al, 1996 ; Taylor & Wallace, 2012 ; Thomson et al, 2015 ). Shame was not affected by formula feeding exclusivity (a maternal enacted behaviour) but was rather a product of maternal social context forces (i.e., health care professional support and pressure to breastfeed), explaining much of their effects on post‐natal maternal mental health.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…Shame, on the other hand, did not significantly mediate formula feeding exclusivity. Instead, shame directly, positively correlated with post‐natal anxiety and depression, substantiating distinctions between guilt and shame, conceptually (Arimitsu, 2001 ; Crozier, 1998 ; Gilbert, 2003 ; Lazare, 1987 ; Miceli & Castelfranchi, 2018 ; Niedenthal et al, 1994 ; Tangney et al, 1996 ; Taylor & Wallace, 2012 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Maternal behaviour (i.e., formula feeding exclusivity), significantly affected by the social context, led instead to guilt and consequently poorer post‐natal mental health. Guilt was further supported, therefore, as a transgression‐orientated emotion (e.g., Niedenthal et al, 1994 ; Tangney et al, 1996 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…For guilt, negative emotions are directed toward the moral wrongdoing, while for shame, negative emotions are directed toward the self (Lazare, 1987 ; Miceli & Castelfranchi, 2018 ; Tangney et al, 1996 ). Shame is also more concerned with having failed in front of judging ‘ others ’ , unlike guilt, which is more behaviour orientated (Taylor & Wallace, 2012 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Psychosocial predictors of post‐natal anxiety and depression: Using Structural Equation Modelling to investigate the relationship between pressure to breastfeed, health care professional support, post‐natal guilt and shame, and post‐natal anxiety and depression within an infant feeding context

Jackson,

Fallon,

Harrold

et al. 2023

Maternal & Child Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

High perceived pressure to breastfeed and poor perceived quality of health care professional support have been associated with early breastfeeding cessation, guilt, and shame. This is problematic because guilt and shame significantly predict post‐natal anxiety and depression. No previous attempts have been made to provide quantitative evidence for relationships mapped between the post‐natal social context, infant feeding method and post‐natal emotional well‐being. The current study aimed to empirically investigate aforementioned pathways. Structural equation modelling was applied to survey data provided online by 876 mothers. Guilt and shame both significantly predicted anxiety and depression. Poor health care professional support and high pressure to breastfeed increased anxiety and depression, and these effects were explained by indirect pathways through increases in guilt and shame. Formula feeding exclusivity was negatively correlated with post‐natal anxiety symptoms. This finding may be explained by feelings of relief associated with observed infant weight gain and being able to share infant feeding responsibilities others e.g., with one's partner. This relationship was counterbalanced by an indirect pathway where greater formula feeding exclusivity positively predicted guilt, which increased post‐natal anxiety score. While guilt acted as mediator of infant feeding method to increase post‐natal depression and anxiety, shame acted independently of infant feeding method. These identified differences provide empirical support for the transferability of general definitions of guilt (i.e., as remorse for having committed a moral transgression) and shame (i.e., internalisation of transgressive remorse to the self), to an infant feeding context. Recommendations for health care practitioners and the maternal social support network are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Psychosocial predictors of post‐natal anxiety and depression: Using Structural Equation Modelling to investigate the relationship between pressure to breastfeed, health care professional support, post‐natal guilt and shame, and post‐natal anxiety and depression within an infant feeding context

Jackson,

Fallon,

Harrold

et al. 2023

Maternal & Child Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Guilt is a conscious emotion that is generated in social interactions, and those who feel guilt prefer to compensate for their wrongdoings [17]. In other words, the feeling of guilt causes motivation and inclination through apologizing and making up for the loss [28].…”

Section: The Mediating Roles Of Self-blame and Guiltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does abusive supervision increase employees’ helping behavior? An exploration of mediating and moderating mechanisms

Nasab,

biuki,

Sharifirad

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Typically, researchers believe that abusive supervision decreases employees' helping behavior. However, according to the emotional process theory of abusive supervision, subordinates show more helping behavior under certain conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of abusive supervision on employees' helping behavior, with a focus on the mediating role of self-blame and guilt as well as the moderating effects of core self-evaluation (CSE) and power distance. Methods: In this study, the PROCESS Macro model was used to deeply investigate the proposed moderated mediation model. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed with AMOS. The employees of various private and state service-offering organizations in Yazd, Iran, were invited to participate in the study (n = 381). They were selected through simple random sampling. The data were collected with the Abusive Supervision Scale [1], State Shame and Guilt Scale (SSGS), Self-blame Questionnaire [3], Core Self-Evaluation Scale [4], and Power Distance Scale developed by Dorfman and Howell [5]. The scale developed by Dalal et al. [2] was also used to rate the employees’ helping behavior. The hypothesized model was analyzed according to the PROCESS Macro model. Results: The direct association between abusive supervision and employees’ helping behavior was significantly negative. The mediation by self-blame and guilt was negative too. The relationship between abusive supervision and self-blame was positively correlated to core self-evaluation (CSE), while the association between self-blame and guilt was negatively correlated to power distance. Conclusion: In the context of abusive supervision and its aftermath, this study introduced self-blame and guilt as two mediators that can influence subordinates’ reactions to abusive supervision. Also, for the first time, CSE was tested as a moderator between abusive supervision and self-blame. Finally, in response to previous calls for research [6,7], the moderating role of subordinates’ power distance orientation in the relationship between self-blame and guilt was investigated.

show abstract

Intimate partner aggression‐related shame and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: The moderating role of substance use problems

Weiss

Duke

Overstreet

et al. 2015

Aggressive Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A dearth of literature has examined the consequences of women’s use of aggression in intimate relationships. Women’s use of aggression against their intimate partners, regardless of their motivation (e.g., self-defense, retaliation), may elicit shame. Shame, in turn, may contribute to the maintenance and/or exacerbation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which are commonly experienced in this population. Further, emerging research suggests that emotionally-avoidant coping strategies, such as substance use, may strengthen the relation between shame and PTSD symptoms. The goal of the present study was to examine whether women’s shame concerning their use of intimate partner aggression is associated with their PTSD symptoms, and whether drug and alcohol use problems moderate this association. Participants were 369 community women who had used and been victimized by physical aggression in an intimate relationship with a male partner in the past six months. The intimate partner aggression-related shame × drug (but not alcohol) use problems interaction on PTSD symptom severity was significant. Analysis of simple slopes revealed that women’s intimate partner aggression-related shame was positively associated with their PTSD symptoms when drug use problems were high, but not when drug use problems were low. Findings have implications for the potential utility of PTSD treatments targeting a reduction in shame and maladaptive shame regulation strategies (i.e., drug use) in this population.

show abstract

Are shame, guilt, and embarrassment distinct emotions?

Cited by 249 publications

References 37 publications

Psychosocial predictors of post‐natal anxiety and depression: Using Structural Equation Modelling to investigate the relationship between pressure to breastfeed, health care professional support, post‐natal guilt and shame, and post‐natal anxiety and depression within an infant feeding context

Psychosocial predictors of post‐natal anxiety and depression: Using Structural Equation Modelling to investigate the relationship between pressure to breastfeed, health care professional support, post‐natal guilt and shame, and post‐natal anxiety and depression within an infant feeding context

Does abusive supervision increase employees’ helping behavior? An exploration of mediating and moderating mechanisms

Intimate partner aggression‐related shame and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: The moderating role of substance use problems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About