The Emergence of Gender Differences in Guilt during Adolescence

Publisher Summary

Males and females differ not only in the intensity of guilt feelings from adolescence onward, but in what and who causes them to feel guilty. Males are more likely to feel guilt about aggressive behaviors and in the presence of strangers. Aggressiveness is seen as normative for males and parents and peers alike may tolerate this type of behavior. Males are more likely than females to deny culpability for their actions and are less likely to experience ongoing, unalleviated feelings of guilt. Males feel less intense guilt with development during adolescence. In contrast, females are more likely to feel guilt about inconsiderate behavior and around family members. Inconsiderateness is seen as non-normative for females, and females may be especially harsh in punishing themselves for misbehavior that runs counter to sex-role stereotypes. Guilt over inconsiderate behavior becomes more prevalent with development for females. Peers hold females compared to males more accountable for their actions. Parents likewise are less tolerant of misbehavior among females than males and are more likely to use discipline techniques with daughters that lead to guilt. Females compared to males are more willing to concede responsibility for misdeeds and apparently have more difficulty expelling feelings of guilt as evidenced by their higher scores on chronic guilt. Females' greater proclivity for guilt may be both a blessing and a curse. Chronic feelings of guilt, unchannelled and unresolved, may provide an ongoing source of self-degradation, serve as an endless reminder of the failing that evoked the emotion, and may be a precipitating factor in the development of depression and eating disorders.