Rf. Baumeister et al., SUBJECTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL CORRELATES OF GUILT IN DAILY-LIFE, Personality & social psychology bulletin, 21(12), 1995, pp. 1256-1268
Study 1 examined everyday guilt with an experience sampling method. Mi
ld guilt feelings were common in this adult sample, although strong or
severe guilt feelings were rare. Guilt feelings were positively corre
lated with aversive arousal states and were negatively correlated with
pleasant, relaxed states. Guilt feelings were fairly evenly distribut
ed across a broad range of activities and thought patterns with the ex
ception that thinking about self in relation to others was associated
with especially high frequencies of guilt. Guilt was linked to social
distress, such as interpersonal conflict, rejection, and loneliness, a
s well as to feelings of uncertainty. In Study 2, guilt was found to b
e more linked to interpersonal circumstances and close relationships t
han a variety of other negative affective states. The results generall
y support theoretical views of guilt as relevant to action control and
interpersonal relations.