Abstract: Collective guilt can be conceptualized as guilt that is experienced as a consequence of belonging to a group which has done wrongdoing to the other groups, even though the personal self was clearly uninvolved in the harmful actions. It is a self-focus emotion. Some cognitive factors will affect the group-based guilt, such as in-group responsibility, legitimacy appraisal, perceived difficulty of making restitutions, the personal value priorities and national identity will produce the individual difference in collective guilt. Group-based guilt can facilitate apologies and restitutions to the victimized group. There are ample opportunities to develop whether people can experience collective guilt for present-day behavior that harms in-group members in the future, and the other emotions will integrate with collective guilt in intergroup reconciliation.

Key words: collective guilt, national identity, apology, restitution