Guilt and shame as intergroup emotions applied within the South African context
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Date
2009
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Publisher
University of Fort Hare
Abstract
The present paper will inform about three studies that seek to make a contribution to
the area of self-conscious emotions, namely guilt and shame, and their consequences
for intergroup relations in a South African context. As with previous research, this
research investigated whether belonging to a particular group (i.e. being a white
South African) is likely to evoke feelings of collective guilt and collective shame
when reminded of the atrocities of Apartheid, even though the individual members
did not personally contribute to their group’s negative history. The first study aimed
to investigate experimentally the effects of experienced collective ingroup guilt and
shame on the desire to make reparation. The second study aimed to test the
relationship between guilt/shame and reparation of white South Africans in the field.
Furthermore, the second study aimed to account for the dialectical aspects of the
intergroup situation by exploring guilt/shame and reparation of white South Africans
as expected by young black South Africans (as members of the previously oppressed
group). The third study aimed to replicate the differences between experienced
guilt/shame/reparation and reported ingroup identification by white South Africans
and the expected guilt/shame/reparation from white South Africans and reported
ingroup identification by black South Africans as found in the study 2. In addition,
the third study aimed to control the antecedents for collective guilt and for collective
shame. It also explored the impact knowledge about atrocities of the ingroup (white
participants) has on emotions and reparation attitudes and whether perceived status
relations at present and in the future impacts the emotions as well general reparation
attitudes.
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Keywords
South Africa -- Race relations, South Africa -- Social conditions, South Africa -- Politics and government, Intergroup relations, Shame -- Guilt