Guilt and guilt-proneness, shame and shame-proneness in Indian and Italian young adults

This study investigated the distinct affective experiences of shame and guilt as well as the shame- and guilt-proneness in Indian and Italian young adults. Two undergraduate samples (132 Indian and 134 Italian) were administered the Emotional Experience Questionnaire (EEQ) and the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA). Data showed that both emotion specificity and culture explain sizable amount of the variance in the emotion reports. Particularly, the distinction between shame and guilt as separate emotional experiences was confirmed. Moreover, Indian participants reported to react more intensely to shame, and Italian ones tended to react more intensely to guilt. However, considering the proneness, Indian young adults turned out to be more sensitive both to guilt and shame. These findings highlight the distinction between shame and guilt experiences and shame- and guilt-proneness. Further, they suggest a revision of the traditional hypothesis of a basic distinction between shame (Eastern) and guilt (Western) cultures.