Chinese and Canadian Identity on Responses to the Experience of Shame and Guilt

Negative self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt) support self-regulation to social norms, which may be part of the identity development process. This study addressed whether cultural background affected this process. European Canadian (EC, N = 99), Chinese Canadian (CC, N = 86), international Chinese students in Canada (IC, N = 65) and mainland Chinese (MC, N = 69) undergraduates read 18 scenarios describing norm violations, rating each scenario on a Shame and Guilt Self-Regulation Scale (SGSRS). MANOVAs showed that MCs endorsed more approach responses (i.e., problem focus coping, support seeking) to the scenarios than CC and EC. Gender differences also emerged; women endorsed more approach strategies to shame than men and less withdrawal (denial). Cultural differences to both shame and guilt did not extend to first generation CCs, who had grown up in North America. Results suggest that cultural norms moderate how self-conscious emotions affect the development of some aspects of identity.