The character of guilt within interpersonal relationships: A comparison of friends and significant others

Abstract

Recently, the role of guilt within interpersonal relationships has come under scrutiny. This research, though informative, has been primarily gleaned from retrospective accounts. This investigation examines guilt virtually as it is elicited in friendship and significant-other dyads, probing the following issues: (a) experienced guilt and perceptions of conversational appropriateness as they relate to relational satisfaction and relational interdependence, (b) the association between elicitors' and targets' perceptions of relational transgression and relational satisfaction, (c) elicitors' perceptions of predicted and actual outcomes of guilt elicitation, (d) effects of guilt elicitation on targets' perceptions of the relationship, (e) self-esteem's effect on targets' experienced guilt, and (f) effects of relationship type (i.e., friends vs. significant others) on the above. Results indicate that relationship type is associated with intensity of the guilt appeal, and is a factor in the link between relational interdependence and perceptions of a guilt appeal's appropriateness. Additionally relationship type, relational interdependence, and relational satisfaction offered some demonstration of moderating the usage and reception of guilt. Relational satisfaction evidenced no association with partners' perceptions of the relational transgression, while self-esteem demonstrated a near significant association with experienced guilt. Content analyses of elicitors' perceptions of predicted and actual outcomes and targets' perceptions of relational meanings of guilt appeals are presented.