Shame, Guilt, and Motivated Self-Confidence

Dessí, Roberta, Junjie Ren and Xiaojian Zhao

No 18629, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: Evidence from anthropology, economics, and psychology indicates that sensitivities to shame and guilt vary substantially across cultures, as does confidence in ability and skills. Is there a connection between these observations? We address this question both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, we endogenize sensitivities to shame and guilt as well as self-confidence, studying their equilibrium emergence and interactions. Empirically, we find significant evidence of a negative relationship between individual self-confidence and the cultural importance of shame relative to guilt. This relationship holds both across countries and among U.S. immigrants relative to their cultures of origin, exhibiting a long-lasting effect that persists after migration.

Keywords: Self-confidence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D03 D83 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-11
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Working Paper: Shame, Guilt, and Motivated Self-Confidence (2023)
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