Author(s): Myyry, Liisa ; Helkama, Klaus ; Silfver-Kuhalampi, Mia ; Petkova, Kristina ; Valentim, Joaquim Pires ; Liik, Kadi
Date: 2021
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/104582
Origin: Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra
Subject(s): guilt; moral behavior; secrets; shame; values
University students (n = 758) from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, and Portugal were given a list of morally relevant behaviors (MRB), the Schwartz Value Survey (PVQ40) and Tangney's TOSCA, measuring empathic guilt, guilt over norm-breaking, and shame. A factor analysis of MRB yielded 4 dimensions: prosocial behaviors, interpersonal transgressions, antisocial behaviors and secret transgressions. Prosocial behaviors were predicted by self-transcendence-self-enhancement (SET) value contrast only while the three transgression categories were associated with both SET and openness to change-conservation (hedonism-conformity) contrast. Norm-breaking guilt was more strongly associated with behaviors than were empathic guilt and shame. However, shame was (positively) associated with secret transgressions in three countries, after controlling for values. The associations were strongest in Bulgaria and Estonia while fewer associations were found in Finland and Portugal. The implications of the findings for the cross-cultural psychology of morality are discussed.
