Counterfactual Reasoning for Regretted Situations Involving Controllable Versus Uncontrollable Events: The Modulating Role of Contingent Self-Esteem

Wilkinson, Meredith R.; Ball, Linden J.; Alford, David

doi:10.5709/acp-0168-4

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Individual differences in a range of qualities (e.g., morality, self-enhancement, self-improvement, social desirability) seem also important, potentially functioning as moderators between regret and heroism, as the results of Study 3 suggest. In this regard, it should be noted that regret intensity seems to be associated with self-esteem contingency (i.e., instability, fragility), especially if the events involved seem controllable (Wilkinson et al, 2015). It might thus be worth examining whether, and under which conditions, self-esteem contingency can motivate people to engage in heroic acts when they experience regrets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Existential Road From Regret to Heroism: Searching for Meaning in Life

et al. 2018

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We investigated whether regret predicted the motivation to act heroically. In a series of studies, we examined the relationship between regret, search for meaning in life, and heroism motivation. First, Study 1 (a and b) investigated the association between regret and search for meaning in life, considering regret as a whole, action regret, and inaction regret. As expected, regret correlated positively with search for meaning in life. In two additional studies (Study 2 and 3), we examined whether regret predicted heroism motivation and whether this effect was mediated through search for meaning in life. Study 2 confirmed this hypothesis for individual differences in regret, using a correlational design. Study 3 confirmed the hypothesis for temporary experiences of regret, using an experimental design. In addition, in Study 3 we found that heroism motivation was stronger for people with high self-enhancement needs than for those with lower self-enhancement needs. We discuss the relationship between regret and heroism in light of these results and explore their implications.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Existential Road From Regret to Heroism: Searching for Meaning in Life

et al. 2018

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“…Interestingly, some studies on real life or career regrets have questioned the relationship between the intensity of regret and the controllability of the eliciting events. For example, Wilkinson et al (2015) found that while the level of regret for controllable events varied as a function of individual self-esteem, the one for uncontrollable events was always high. In the career domain, Wrzesniewski et al (2006) , Berg et al (2010) , and Newton et al (2012) found more intense regrets among those who had not chosen their current occupation, due to social or family constraints, than among those who had chosen it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regret and Other Emotions Related to Decision-Making: Antecedents, Appraisals, and Phenomenological Aspects

et al. 2021

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Objectives: The mainstream position on regret in psychological literature is that its necessary conditions are agency and responsibility, that is, to choose freely but badly. Without free choice, other emotions, such as disappointment, are deemed to be elicited when the outcome is worse than expected. In two experiments, we tested the opposite hypothesis that being forced by external circumstances to choose an option inconsistent with one’s own intentions is an important source of regret and a core component of its phenomenology, regardless of the positivity/negativity of the post-decision outcome. Along with regret, four post-decision emotions – anger toward oneself, disappointment, anger toward circumstances, and satisfaction – were investigated to examine their analogies and differences to regret with regard to antecedents, appraisals, and phenomenological aspects.Methods: Through the scenario methodology, we manipulated three variables: choice (free/forced), outcome (positive/negative), and time (short/long time after decision-making). Moreover, we investigated whether responsibility, decision justifiability, and some phenomenological aspects (self-attribution, other attribution, and contentment) mediated the effect exerted by choice, singularly or in interaction with outcome and time, on the five emotions. Each study was conducted with 336 participants, aged 18–60.Results: The results of both studies were similar and supported our hypothesis. In particular, regret elicited by forced choice was always high, regardless of the valence of outcome, whereas free choice elicited regret was high only with a negative outcome. Moreover, regret was unaffected by responsibility and decision justifiability, whereas it was affected by the three phenomenological dimensions.Conclusion: Our results suggest that (1) the prevailing theory of regret is too binding, since it posits as necessary some requirements which are not; (2) the antecedents and phenomenology of regret are broader than it is generally believed; (3) decision-making produces a complex emotional constellation, where the different emotions, singularly and/or in combination, constitute the affective responses to the different aspects of decision-making.

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“…More recent studies similarly have often focused on the frequency with which participants’ regrets fall into particular categories or life domains (e.g., Roese et al, 2009; Morrison and Roese, 2011; but c.f. Wilkinson et al, 2015). Emotional frequency and intensity are distinct processes underlying the experience of affect (Diener et al, 1985; Schimmack and Diener, 1997) and they are not necessarily highly correlated: Frequent emotions (e.g., happiness) may not necessarily be intense, while infrequent emotions (e.g., rage) may be very intense.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Makes for the Most Intense Regrets? Comparing the Effects of Several Theoretical Predictors of Regret Intensity

et al. 2016

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Several theories have been proposed to account for variation in the intensity of life regrets. Variables hypothesized to affect the intensity of regret include: whether the regretted decision was an action or an inaction, the degree to which the decision was justified, and the life domain of the regret. No previous study has compared the effects of these key predictors in a single model in order to identify which are most strongly associated with the intensity of life regret. In this study, respondents (N = 500) to a postal survey answered questions concerning the nature of their greatest life regret. A Bayesian regression analysis suggested that regret intensity was greater for—in order of importance—decisions that breached participants’ personal life rules, decisions in social life domains than non-social domains, and decisions that lacked an explicit justification. Although regrets of inaction were more frequent than regrets of action, regrets relating to actions were slightly more intense.

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Counterfactual Reasoning for Regretted Situations Involving Controllable Versus Uncontrollable Events: The Modulating Role of Contingent Self-Esteem

Cited by 9 publications

References 34 publications

On the Existential Road From Regret to Heroism: Searching for Meaning in Life

On the Existential Road From Regret to Heroism: Searching for Meaning in Life

Regret and Other Emotions Related to Decision-Making: Antecedents, Appraisals, and Phenomenological Aspects

What Makes for the Most Intense Regrets? Comparing the Effects of Several Theoretical Predictors of Regret Intensity

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