Guilt: An Interpersonal Approach, Psychological Bulletin, March 1999, Vol. 115, No.2, 243-267, Roy F. Baumeister, Arlene M. Stillwell, and Todd F. Heatherton
Article Summary:
In the article, Guilt: An Interpersonal Approach, by Roy F. Baumeister, Arlene M. Stillwell, and Todd F. Heatherton, the argument is made that guilt should be viewed as a fundamentally social phenomenon. The introduction argues that most occurrences of guilt are, “clearly and essentially linked to interpersonal processes”. It is also noted that the sociocultural perspective is lacking a current hypothesis that allows for the evidence of recent studies and tests. The article proposes that “guilt is something that happens between people rather than just inside them”, and argues that more research is needed to develop such a hypothesis.
There are numerous research studies and expert opinions cited in the article and it will be best if the reader does not make assumptions as to whom the ideas belong. The article is divided into eleven sections (not including the introduction or conclusion) and this summary will follow these sections sequentially.
