Differential relationship between Components of Attachment (parent and peer) in predicting emotional experiences of Shame and Guilt Feelings in male and female adolescents

Feelings of shame and guilt are the most important moral emotions that play an important role in the regulation of social and moral behaviors. Therefore, identifying the antecedent factors of these emotions is essential. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between the components of attachment and feelings of guilt and shame in a causal model. In this regard, the components of attachment to parents and peers were considered as independent variable and feelings of guilt and shame as dependent variable. Participants of the study included 398 (218 female and180 male) fourth year high school students of Shiraz city who were selected through multistage cluster sampling method. Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (Armsden and Greenberg) and Guilt and Shame Proneness Scale (Cohen et al) were used to measure the research variables. Factor analysis was used to determine the validity of the measurement tools and their reliability was examined by Cronbach alpha coefficient. Validity and reliability of the scales were acceptable. Results revealed that components of attachment (to parents and peers) predicted feeling of shame negatively and feeling of guilt positively. Moreover, results of diagram comparing boys and girls confirmed the moderating role of gender. Results showed that in the group of girls, in contrast to total results, attachment to peers predicted feeling of shame positively. Overall, findings provided a good evidence in support of the role of emotional relationships in the formation of moral and social emotions in children.