Test Of Self-Conscious Affect-3 Research Articles

Inventář tendence k vině a hanbě (ITVAH): pilotní studie

This paper constitutes a pilot study of a novel measure for assessing proneness to guilt and proneness to shame, Inventář tendence k vině a hanbě (ITVAH, Inventory of Proneness to Guilt and Shame). ITVAH is a scenario-based method distinguishing affective and behavioural components of guilt and shame and also considering the private or public experience of guilt and shame, respectively. Two items (affective and behavioural reaction) were created for each of the 16 scenarios, resulting in total of 32 items. A four-factor measurement model was assumed – Negative behaviour evaluation (NBE), Reparation, Negative self-evaluation (NSE), Withdrawal. Next, we assumed negative correlations of NSE and Withdrawal with self-esteem and self-forgiveness and positive correlations of NBE and Reparation with self-forgiveness. The pilot study was carried out on 249 Czech-speaking adults (67 % women, aged 18–75, Md = 22). An ordinal confirmatory factor analysis with residual covariances between items connected to the same scenarios was conducted. The hypothesized four-factor model was found acceptable. However, we found limited evidence for the hypothesized relationships with self-esteem and self-forgiveness – in contrast to theoretical expectations we found a medium-strong negative relationship between self-forgiveness and affective component of guilt. For further use of the measure in the Czech and Slovak environment it is necessary to assess additional evidence of construct validity and concurrent validity with The Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3).

Croatian version of the Test of self-conscious affect-3: Gender differences and agreement with subjectively perceived shame- and guilt-proneness

We examined the factorial validity and reliability of the Croatian version of the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3). We then explored gender differences in self-conscious emotions as assessed by the TOSCA-3 and the agreement between TOSCA-3-assessed and subjectively perceived proneness to shame and guilt. A total number of 1214 Croatian students from diverse universities completed online questionnaires. The observed data showed a close fit to the proposed model. Internal consistency was good for all subscales. Shame and guilt domain were moderately correlated. Women reported significantly higher shame-proneness and guilt-proneness than men. Differences in detachment domain were small but statistically significant. No significant gender differences were observed for alpha pride, beta pride, and externalization domain. The agreement between TOSCA-3-assessed and subjectively perceived shame-proneness, as well as guilt-proneness, was poor. Men were more prone to incorporate (TOSCA-3-assessed) shame experiences under the word guilt. Our findings suggest that the Croatian version of the TOSCA-3 is a reliable measure of self-conscious emotions. Gender differences in TOSCA-3-assessed shame and guilt favor women, but the more threatening nature of TOSCA-3 scenarios to women’s identities and conforming to gender stereotypes must be taken into account. Subjectively perceived shame- and guilt-proneness should not be used interchangeably with TOSCA-3-assessed shame- and guilt-proneness, respectively.

Sexual Satisfaction, Sexual Attitudes, and Shame in Relation to Religiosity

Given the historical coexistence of religion and sexuality, the main aim of this study was to examine how religiosity is related to sexusal attitudes and sexual satisfaction and, besides that, to examine the potential role of sexual shame and shame proneness in religiosity and sexual satisfaction. The study also focused on gender and marital differences in sexual attitudes, sexual satisfaction, shame, and religiosity. The research was conducted on 411 participants ranging in age from 18 to 44 years (M = 23.66; SD = 4.17). The data were obtained by the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale, Sexual Satisfaction Scale, Swedish Religious Orientational Scale, Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3, and Kyle Sexual Shame Inventory. The data were analysed with correlational and regression analysis. The study confirmed a negative association between intrinsic religiosity and permissiveness. Sexual shame was positively related to religiosity and negatively related to sexual satisfaction. Intrinsic religiosity, shame proneness, and sexual shame explained 19% of the variance of sexual satisfaction, while the strongest negative predictor was sexual shame. We highlight the potential benefits of focusing on unpleasant feelings of sexual shame in therapy in order to potentially increase sexual satisfaction. This seems to be particularly important for individuals who have experienced non-consensual sexual activity in the past.

Are we assessing guilt correctly? An investigation of the psychometric properties of a prominent guilt measure

The construct of trait guilt has played an important role in psychological theory across many fields of psychology (e.g., as a diagnostic criterion in clinical psychology, as an individual difference in personality psychology, and as a motivational antecedent or emotional moderator in social and organizational psychology); however, the measurement of guilt has received comparatively limited attention in the literature. Specifically, existing measures have limited factor analytic support, limited evidence of convergent validity among the measures, and although the theoretical distinction between guilt and shame is well established, there is limited empirical support for the discriminant validity of these constructs as they are currently measured. The current study investigates the psychometric properties of the most commonly used measure of guilt, the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3; in: Tangney, The Test of Self Conscious Affect-3. George Mason University, Fairfax, 2000), in order to (a) examine the factor structure of the measure, (b) estimate the convergent validity of the measure with other guilt assessment instruments, and (c) examine the discriminant validity of guilt and shame. Results involving a sample of 1760 participants provide support for a multitrait-multimethod model and the discriminant validity of guilt and shame. However, limited evidence of convergent validity between the TOSCA-3 and the Revised Mosher Guilt Inventory (φ = .21) and the Trauma-Related Guilt Inventory (φ = .10) suggested the TOSCA-3 is not assessing guilt in the same manner as more contextualized measures of guilt, highlighting the importance of measurement choice for guilt researchers. Implications for the measurement of trait guilt are discussed.

Self‐conscious emotions in worry and generalized anxiety disorder

Current theories regarding worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) highlight the potential avoidance functions of worry, and it has been suggested that worry functions to avoid self-conscious emotions in particular. Therefore, the present study examined the roles of proneness and aversion to self-conscious emotions in worry and GAD. Cross-sectional data from two samples were collected: (1) a sample of 726 undergraduates, and (2) a selected sample of 51 community members, 37.3% of whom met DSM-IV criteria for GAD. Zero-order correlations and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine associations of self-conscious emotion constructs to worry and GAD. Proneness to guilt and shame (propensities for experiencing guilt and shame, respectively) were assessed via the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3. Aversion to guilt and shame (perceptions of guilt and shame, respectively, as especially painful, undesirable emotions) were assessed using the Guilt Aversion Assessment and Shame-Aversive Reactions Questionnaire, respectively. Worry was assessed using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and GAD was assessed via the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders. Correlations indicated positive associations between self-conscious emotion constructs and worry/GAD. However, in the selected community sample, regression analyses indicated that only shame aversion was positively associated with worry/GAD, over and above all other self-conscious emotion constructs and depression. Results suggest a prominent role for an intolerance for shame in worry and GAD, which is broadly consistent with psychological models of worry. Future directions for research and clinical implications are discussed. Positive clinical implications: Evidence supporting the theorized importance of self-conscious emotions in worry and GAD. Specifically highlights the need to address intolerance for shame in treatment. Limitations: Small sample size in Study 2. Use of cross-sectional data.

Narcissism: Its function in modulating self-conscious emotions

This study focused on the functional aspects of narcissism in regulating self-conscious emotions (guilt, shame, hubristic pride, and achievement-oriented pride) as well as two other attribution styles (externalization and detachment). The authors investigated Japanese university students (N = 452) with regard to their self-conscious emotions using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) and their narcissistic personality using the short version of Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-S). Structural equation modeling was used for the analysis. The authors found that narcissism led individuals to feel achievement-oriented pride, hubristic pride, externalization, and detachment, but inhibited feelings of shame. It did not have a significant effect on guilt. Shame-proneness prompted hubristic pride and externalization. Guilt-proneness inclined an individual toward achievement-oriented pride, but deterred externalization. In this article, the authors present and interpret these results in detail and then discuss how they can be utilized in psychotherapy.

Aversion and proneness to shame in self- and informant-reported personality disorder symptoms.

The present study examined the specificity and extent of relationships between shame and symptoms of five personality disorders (PDs), as they are apparent to both the self and others. Borderline, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive PD symptoms were assessed in a sample of 367 undergraduates that evidenced a wide range of symptom levels (25.6% endorsed threshold or greater severity of symptoms on the Schedule of Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-2). Importantly, for both conceptual and methodological reasons, information about PD symptoms was also obtained from friends/family of 45.2% of the sample. Shame aversion (the tendency to perceive shame as a particularly painful and unwanted emotion) was assessed using the Shame-Aversive Reactions Questionnaire, and shame-proneness (the propensity to experience shame across situations) was assessed using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3. Shame aversion displayed the most consistent relationship with PD symptoms, being associated with self-reports of symptoms of all five PDs and informant-reports of symptoms of three PDs, over and above experiential avoidance, trait affect, and guilt. A significant Shame Aversion × Shame-Proneness interaction further revealed that shame-proneness was associated with symptoms of avoidant and dependent PDs among individuals with high but not low levels of shame aversion. Thus, these findings highlight shame aversion's specific importance in PD symptoms and suggest important future research directions.

Validation française du test des émotions réflexives (French-TOSCA-3) : une mesure des tendances émotionnelles de honte et de culpabilité

IntroductionThis study sought to validate a French version of the Test of self-conscious affect-3 (TOSCA-3) (Tangney et al., 2000), which is a self-reporting measure of self-conscious emotions such as shame and guilt. MethodA sample of 431 undergraduates completed the French TOSCA-3 and other related psychological constructs. ResultsThe TOSCA-3 exhibited satisfactory internal, test-retest, and discriminant validity similar to the original American version. Moreover, the gender difference in shame and guilt was replicated. DiscussionThis dispositional measure of shame and guilt was the first made available in French and offers acceptable psychonometric qualities.

Self-Conscious Affects: Their Adaptive Functions and Relationship to Depressive Mood

This study used a structural equation model to examine the influence of resilience on the four self-conscious affects (guilt-proneness, shame-proneness, externalization, and detachment) assessed in the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) and their impact on depressive mood. Our subject population consisted of 447 Japanese university students. The first analysis explored which TOSCA-3 affects help an individual adapt to stressful situations. The concept of "resilience" was used as an indicator to evaluate the adaptive functions. We based this on the assumption that an individual with higher resilience is able to use more adaptive affects. In the second analysis, taking the above relationship between resilience and the self-conscious affects into consideration, we examined how those variables as well as a negative life event are related to depressive mood. To assess the resilience level and depressive mood, we adopted the Resilience Scale (RS) and Self-rating Depressive Scale (SDS), respectively. The first analysis showed that the more resilient an individual was, the more prone they were to "detachment" and the less "shame" they experienced. The level of resilience did not have a significant effect on "guilt" or "externalization." In the second analysis we found that "resilience" had a direct inverse effect on depressive mood that was also mediated by "shame" and "detachment." We discuss how the particular self-conscious affects comprising each adaptive function are related to depressive mood.

Shame aversion and shame-proneness in Cluster C personality disorders.

The associations between shame and Cluster C personality disorders (PDs) were examined in 237 undergraduates, 35 of whom met at least subthreshold criteria for Cluster C PDs assessed using the Personality Disorder Interview-IV. Shame-proneness (the propensity to experience shame across many situations) was measured using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3, and shame aversion (the tendency to perceive shame as especially painful and undesirable) was measured using the Shame-Aversive Reactions Questionnaire. A go/no-go association task was used to assess the strength of implicit mental representations of the association between shame and pain, relative to that between shame and pleasure. Shame-proneness and shame aversion were associated with Cluster C PD symptoms over and above trait positive and negative affect. Further, shame-proneness was found to be associated with Cluster C PDs among individuals with high but not low levels of shame aversion. Finally, shame-pain associations were uniquely associated with dependent personality disorder.

The Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 in Japanese University Students

The psychometric properties of the Japanese Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3), a self-report measure of self-conscious emotions, were examined in Japanese university students. Confirmatory factor analyses showed good fits of the theory-driven model for 6 emotions to the data. The subscales of the TOSCA-3 showed moderate correlations and internal consistency. Only the Shame subscale was greater among younger students, but women had higher shame and guilt than men. Social desirability moderately influenced some subscales. Test-retest reliability was good for shame and guilt. Time 1 shame predicted time 2 depression a week later. The Japanese version of the TOSCA-3 is a reliable and valid measure of self-conscious emotions among a Japanese population.

Guilt and Its Multidimensionality: Empirical Approaches Using Klein’s View

After examining the definitions of persecutory and penitential types of guilt, based on Melanie Klein's view, we developed a single-item measure of these types and examined reliability and validity of the measure in three studies. Concurrent validity of the measure was shown among a university student population using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 as an external validator. The questionnaire was not influenced by a socially desirable response style. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by studying different external variables: the two types of guilt feelings are moderately correlated with each other, but penitential guilt is more strongly correlated to variables related to ego maturation. Test-retest stability is only modest, suggesting that the constructs of measured guilt feelings may fluctuate over time.