IF ONLY I WERENT VERSUS IF ONLY I HADNT - DISTINGUISHING SHAME AND GUILT IN COUNTERFACTUAL THINKING

The role of counterfactual thinking in 2 emotions-shame and guilt-was examined. In 1 series of studies, Ss read about situations evocative o f shame and guilt or described personal experiences of guilt or shame. They then generated counterfactual alternatives to ''undo'' the distr essing outcomes. Consistent with predictions derived from Tangney (199 1), Ss tended to undo shame situations by altering qualities of the se lf and to undo guilt situations by altering actions. In a 2nd series o f studies, Ss imagined themselves in a situation that could evoke eith er guilt or shame. Ss were then led to mutate the self or behavior to undo the situation. Mutation manipulations amplified shame and guilt s uch that the former Ss anticipated feeling greater shame, whereas the latter anticipated feeling greater guilt. The role of counterfactual t hinking in specific emotions and in differentiating shame- and guilt-p rone personalities is discussed.