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Project

Prospective guilt and shame for engaging in delinquency : a symbolic-interactionist analysis

Research suggests that emotions such as shame and guilt play an important role in understanding why youngsters do or don’t offend. First, they may give moral feedback and stimulate learning after transgressive behavior. Second, they can also inhibit future transgressive behavior. That is, youngsters may anticipate emotional outcomes when contemplating delinquency and try to avoid painful emotions such as shame and guilt. Interestingly, it been found that girls experience stronger threats of shame and guilt in delinquent situations than boys. These gender differences appear to explain a substantial portion of the gender gap in self-reported delinquency. This project aims at providing a better understanding of adolescents’ anticipated and experienced feelings of shame and guilt in delinquent situations, and pays specific attention to the role of gender.

Date:6 Jun 2014 →  19 Dec 2022
Keywords:youth delinquency, shame, gender
Disciplines:Criminology
Project type:PhD project