How Shame and Guilt Influence Perspective Taking: A Comparison of Turkish and German Cultures


SÖYLEMEZ S., Koyuncu M., Wolf O. T., Türkan B. N.

Journal of Cognition and Culture, vol.22, no.1-2, pp.20-40, 2022 (ESCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 22 Issue: 1-2
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1163/15685373-12340123
  • Journal Name: Journal of Cognition and Culture
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, PASCAL, Psycinfo
  • Page Numbers: pp.20-40
  • Keywords: shame, guilt, perspective-taking, culture, interdependence
  • Manisa Celal Bayar University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Shame and guilt are negative social emotions that are sensitive to culture, and findings from past research have suggested that shame impairs perspective-taking cognitive ability more than guilt does. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of research that has considered culture and experimentally tested the effect of shame and guilt on perspective-taking. Taking an experimental perspective, this study aimed to examine how shame and guilt states affect perspective-taking performance in two different cultures (Turkish vs. German). Data from German and Turkish female college students provided support for the effect of emotional state and culture on perspective-taking, but there was no interaction between them. We discussed the results and possible explanations for them in light of the literature.