Guilt Underlies Compassion Among Those Who Have Suffered Adversity

Abstract

Feelings of guilt can often result from the onset of adverse life events. Although guilt is often linked to psychological dysfunction, emerging findings suggest that it can also act as a powerful moral force in motivating compassion. Yet, little work has been done to examine how guilt, as a function of surviving past adversity, can affect people’s propensity to feel compassion toward others. In three studies (N = 350), we examined if the emergence of guilt tendencies that result from having experienced adversity can foster increased compassion toward others in need. Replicating past work, we find across these studies that people who have suffered more adversity show a greater propensity to respond compassionately to the suffering of others. Of import, we provide novel evidence identifying feelings of guilt as a central mechanism that mediates the positive link between adversity and compassion.