Guilt and Effortful Control: Two Mechanisms That Prevent Disruptive Developmental Trajectories

Grazyna Kochanska; Robin A Barry; Natasha B Jimenez; Amanda L Hollatz; Jarilyn Woodard

doi:10.1037/a0015471

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Guilt and Effortful Control: Two Mechanisms That Prevent Disruptive Developmental Trajectories

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Guilt and Effortful Control: Two Mechanisms That Prevent Disruptive Developmental Trajectories

Grazyna Kochanska, Robin A Barry, Natasha B Jimenez, Amanda L Hollatz and Jarilyn Woodard

Journal of personality and social psychology, Vol.97(2), pp.322-333

08/2009

DOI: 10.1037/a0015471

PMCID: PMC2726045

PMID: 19634978

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/2726045View

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Abstract

Children's guilt associated with transgressions and their capacity for effortful control are both powerful forces that inhibit disruptive conduct. The authors examined how guilt and effortful control, repeatedly observed from toddlerhood to preschool age, jointly predicted children's disruptive outcomes in 2 multimethod, multitrait longitudinal studies ( N s = 57 and 99). Disruptive outcomes were rated by mothers at 73 months (Study 1) and mothers, fathers, and teachers at 52 and 67 months (Study 2). In both studies, guilt moderated effects of effortful control: For highly guilt-prone children, variations in effortful control were unrelated to future disruptive outcomes, but for children who were less guilt prone, effortful control predicted such outcomes. Guilt may inhibit transgressions through an automatic response due to negative arousal triggered by memories of past wrongdoing, regardless of child capacity for deliberate inhibition. Effortful control that engages a deliberate restraint may offset risk for disruptive conduct conferred by low guilt.

guilt

observational methods

effortful control

disruptive conduct

longitudinal studies

Details

Title: Subtitle: Guilt and Effortful Control: Two Mechanisms That Prevent Disruptive Developmental Trajectories
Creators: Grazyna Kochanska - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
Robin A Barry - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
Natasha B Jimenez - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
Amanda L Hollatz - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
Jarilyn Woodard - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of personality and social psychology, Vol.97(2), pp.322-333
DOI: 10.1037/a0015471
PMID: 19634978
PMCID: PMC2726045
NLM abbreviation: J Pers Soc Psychol
ISSN: 0022-3514
eISSN: 1939-1315
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Grant note: name: National Science Foundation, award: SBR-9510863; DOI: 10.13039/100000025, name: National Institute of Mental Health, award: RO1 MH63096; KO2 MH01446
Language: English
Date published: 08/2009
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences
Record Identifier: 9984213261602771

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