Strachan Shaelyn M, Kullman Sasha M, Dobrovolskyi Marko, Vega Vianney Z, Yarema Alexandra, Patson Caity
Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Br J Health Psychol. 2025 Feb;30(1):e12783. doi: 10.1111/bjhp.12783.
According to Stets and Burke's Identity Theory, people experience negative affect when their behaviour deviates from their identity standards, which drives the regulation of identity-relevant behaviour. Guilt and shame represent unique forms of negative affect. Self-compassion may influence guilt and shame responses about identity-behaviour inconsistencies. Relative to exercise identity, we examined the associations between (1) guilt and shame, behavioural intentions, and perceptions of identity-behaviour re-alignment after an identity-inconsistent situation and (2) whether self-compassion moderates the relationship between these forms of negative affect and both behavioural intentions and identity-behaviour re-alignment.
Prospective, online, quantitative.
N = 274 exercisers (M = 32.5 years, SD = 10.8 years, 50.2% women) who engaged in less exercise in the past week than their identity standard were recruited from Prolific.com. At baseline, self-compassion, state and trait guilt and shame, and exercise intentions were measured. One week later, participants reported the extent to which their past week's exercise aligned with their identity standard (i.e., identity-consistent perceptions).
Neither state shame nor guilt related to exercise intentions nor identity-consistent perceptions. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between state guilt and identity-consistent perceptions (b = 2.524, SE = .975, t = 2.588, p = .010); state guilt was related to identity-behaviour consistency when self-compassion was high, but not when it was low. No other moderations were significant.
This study adds nuance to Identity Theory and its propositions about negative affect and self-regulation; self-compassion may create the conditions necessary for negative affect to drive identity-relevant behaviour as proposed by identity theory.
根据斯特茨和伯克的身份理论，当人们的行为偏离其身份标准时，会体验到负面影响，这会促使对与身份相关的行为进行调节。内疚和羞耻代表了独特的负面影响形式。自我同情可能会影响对身份 - 行为不一致的内疚和羞耻反应。相对于运动身份，我们研究了以下两者之间的关联：（1）在身份不一致的情况后，内疚和羞耻、行为意图以及身份 - 行为重新调整的认知；（2）自我同情是否调节这些负面影响形式与行为意图和身份 - 行为重新调整之间的关系。
前瞻性、在线、定量研究。
从Prolific.com招募了N = 274名锻炼者（年龄M = 32.5岁，标准差SD = 10.8岁，50.2%为女性），他们在过去一周内的锻炼量低于其身份标准。在基线时，测量自我同情、状态和特质内疚与羞耻以及锻炼意图。一周后，参与者报告他们过去一周的锻炼与身份标准相符的程度（即身份一致认知）。
状态羞耻和内疚均与锻炼意图或身份一致认知无关。自我同情调节了状态内疚与身份一致认知之间的关系（b = 2.524，标准误SE = 0.975，t = 2.588，p = 0.010）；当自我同情程度高时，状态内疚与身份 - 行为一致性相关，但在自我同情程度低时则不然。没有其他调节作用显著。
本研究为身份理论及其关于负面影响和自我调节的命题增添了细微差别；自我同情可能如身份理论所提出的那样，创造出负面影响驱动与身份相关行为所需的条件。
