Guilt- and Shame-Proneness and Their Relation to Perceptions of Dating Infidelity

Abstract

This paper explores how proneness to guilt and shame is related to perceptions of dating infidelity. Research data was collected from 805 participants from Slovakia. Attitudes toward extradyadic behaviors were measured by the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale. Guilt- and shame-proneness were assessed by the Guilt and Shame Proneness Scale (GASP). Results indicated that guilt- and partially shame-proneness were associated with less permissive perceptions of dating infidelity. A moderating effect of age was found in both subscales of guilt-proneness and perceptions of sexual infidelity. Gender moderated the association between perceptions of deceptive behavior and negative self-evaluations of shame-proneness, such that this association was positive for women and negative for men.

Keywords

• guilt- and shame-proneness
• infidelity
• attitudes
• perceptions of dating infidelity