Shame, Guilt and Antisocial Attitudes

• In Event: New Directions in Labeling, Reintegrative Shaming, Social Support/Social Network, and General Theories of Crime

Abstract

Criminological explanations of antisocial behaviors and delinquency have often focused on social and relational variables like the family, peers, or the role of social institutions in engendering formal or informal social controls. Internal factors like the self-conscious emotions of guilt and shame are rarely used as explanations. While reintegrative shame is a predominant component in restorative justice models, the concept of shame as used in these models conflates elements of both guilt and shame, and are mostly used in programming interventions. This paper assesses how the self-conscious emotions of guilt and shame affect students’ attitudes toward antisocial behaviors. Guilt and shame are distinctly identified using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA), an instrument often used in psychology to assess clinical outcomes. The utility of using the concepts of guilt and shame are highlighted and future research endeavors are discussed.

Author

• Sheila Royo Maxwell, Michigan State University