First Advisor

Johnson, Brian D.

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

8-2022

Department

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Applied Psychology and Counselor Education, APCE Student Work

Abstract

Prior research has shown shame to be a key component of a variety of mental health issues, symptoms, and disorders; however, a growing body of research also found it to be integral in the process of seeking to atone, ameliorate, or repair a prior transgression. This study sought to further explore what factors influenced this process. By utilizing a posttest-only control group experimental design and the Gausel and Leach (2011) model as a framework, this study was able to operationalize and investigate the role shame had in motivating a prosocial versus self-defensive response. Additionally, this study advanced this model by testing the potential moderating impact of social competence. Results of a 131 participants indicated that people generally reported strong intentions to behave prosocially regardless of feeling ashamed and, furthermore, did not find evidence that social competence moderated this process. The data did demonstrate associations between secure attachment and the Gausel and Leach model’s prosocial pathway and found a significant relationship between shame-proneness and the self-defensive pathway.

Extent

149 pages

Local Identifiers

Burrow_unco_0161D_11027.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Digital Origin

Born digital

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