Using the Anger Response Inventory to Evaluate the Effect of Shame and Guilt on Interpersonal Communication Skills

Abstract

Promoting the development of positive interpersonal communication skills has been identified as one of the National Health Education Standards. The propensity to feel shame has been linked to ineffective conflict resolution and is a key component in the development of certain destructive behavioral patterns. This study sought to determine the differences between shame proneness and guilt proneness on measures of constructive and maladaptive responses to anger among a population of students at two large universities. The results of this study indicated that shame proneness was positively correlated with anger arousal, whereas there was no correlation between guilt proneness and anger arousal. Additionally, shame prone individuals were more likely to select maladaptive, nonconstructive interpersonal responses to anger-eliciting scenarios, whereas guilt prone individuals were more likely to choose adaptive, constructive responses. Although shame proneness has been identified as a factor in several destructive behavioral patterns, the core issue is the effect of shame on a person's ability to effectively communicate in interpersonal relationships. A discussion of shame and related skill development could be incorporated into existing interpersonal communication teaching strategies.