Psychology Commons^™

Guilt And Moral Compensation: Relational Or Self-Presentational?, Heather C. Renetzky

Psychology Honors Projects

This project investigates the relationship between guilt and moral compensation, or pursuing morally positive behavior following morally suspect behavior. Additionally, the current research seeks to examine whether interpersonal, relational motives or intrapersonal, self-focused motives drive this relationship. In Study 1, participants recalled a moral transgression or a neutral memory; they then rated their guilt and completed a compensatory monetary donation task (or vice versa). Guilt was lower after the compensatory task, particularly for participants who had recalled a transgression, suggesting that compensatory behavior can mitigate guilt. Pre-compensatory guilt also significantly predicted the decision to donate. Study 2 manipulated the anonymity …