Understanding interpersonal guilt

Associations with attachment, altruism, and personality pathology

Bibliographic Data

ID21391836
AuthorsJessica Leonardi (0000-0002-9305-0554, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies “Sapienza” University of Rome Rome Italy, corresponding author), Francesco Gazzillo (0000-0002-7955-3710, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies “Sapienza” University of Rome Rome Italy), Bernard S Gorman (0000-0002-8196-1078, Derner School of Psychology Adelphi University Garden City New York USA), David Kealy (0000-0002-3679-6085, Department of Psychiatry University of British Columbia Vancouver Canada)
Year2022
Volume63
Issue6
Pages573-580
Publication date2022-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.12854
PMID35778896
OpenAlexW4283778251
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited42

The aim of this article is to empirically investigate the relationships among interpersonal guilt, as conceived within control‐mastery theory (CMT), and attachment, altruism, and personality pathology in an English‐speaking sample. An online sample of 393 participants was recruited to complete the Interpersonal Guilt Rating Scale self‐report version‐15 (IGRS‐15s), together with other empirically validated measures for the assessment of attachment, altruism, and personality pathology. On the basis of previous studies conducted in Italian‐speaking samples, we hypothesized that survivor guilt, separation/disloyalty guilt, and omnipotent responsibility guilt would be associated with attachment anxiety and avoidance, altruism, and personality pathology; self‐hate was hypothesized to be associated only with attachment anxiety and avoidance and personality pathology. Analyses examined bivariate associations as well as the network of partial correlations among variables. The results largely confirmed hypothesized associations, with self‐hate evincing the strongest unique association with personality dysfunction. Findings provide a basis for further research regarding interpersonal guilt and personality and relational functioning, with potential implications for clinical conceptualizations of the role of guilt in psychopathology

Altruism (biology) · Anxiety · Developmental psychology · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal relationship · Personality · Personality disorders · Personality pathology · Psychiatry · Psychopathology · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders · Psychology · Social Psychology