关键词: 自己补偿, 第三方补偿, 群体内疚, 群体责任感知, 群体羞耻

Abstract: Guilt and compensation have long been research hotspots in the field of social emotions. Previous studies have mainly focused on how the prosocial attributes of guilt promote moral compensation and benefit victims. However, how the guilt-induced compensation modulates the moral transgressors’ moral emotion and moral cognition have not been thoroughly investigated. If guilt-induced compensation is solely aimed at compensating the victims, then it would be equivalent for the transgressors whether the compensation to the victims comes from themselves or from a third party. However, if compensation behavior also has an impact on the transgressors themselves, then third-party compensation would differ from self-compensation. To examine this issue, this study therefore examines how moral compensation affects moral emotions and moral perceptions of moral transgressors through group-based guilt (collective guilt). Experiment 1(N = 213) utilizes a 2 (Group: in-group vs. out-group) × 3 (Compensation Type: no compensation vs. third-party compensation vs. self-compensation) within-subject design, employing a scenario imagination method to induce group-based guilt and explore the initial effects of compensation behavior on group-based guilt. Experiment 2 builds upon the first experiment by using a group-based interpersonal interaction paradigm to induce group-based guilt within a laboratory setting. Additionally, it quantifies the amounts of third-party and self-compensation to eliminate the potential confounding effect of compensation quantity. Both experiments consistently found that, compared to the no compensation condition, self-compensation significantly reduced group-based guilt and the perception of group-based responsibility, without inducing group-based shame. Similarly, third-party compensation also significantly reduced group-based guilt but to a lesser degree than self-compensation. At the same time, third-party compensation failed to reduce the perception of group-based responsibility and even elicited group-based shame. The differential impact of self-compensation and third-party compensation on guilt, responsibility, and shame suggests that guilt-induced compensation behavior not only benefits the victims but also has positive effects on the transgressors themselves, serving as a form of self-regulation. Through compensation, transgressors can alleviate their feelings of guilt, reduce their sense of responsibility, and diminish the occurrence of shame. Previous research has predominantly regarded guilt as a negative emotion characterized by feelings of guilt and self-blame, emphasizing its prosocial attributes towards victims while overlooking the potential benefits that transgressors may derive from guilt-induced prosocial behavior. Our study suggests that compensatory behavior triggered by guilt not only benefits the victims but also has a positive impact on the transgressors themselves, serving as a self-regulatory mechanism. Through compensation, transgressors can alleviate their feelings of guilt, reduce their sense of responsibility, and diminish the occurrence of shame. This finding demonstrates the dual effects of guilt, encompassing both concern and compensation towards victims as well as the regulation and restoration of one's own psychological state, thereby expanding our understanding of the prosocial attributes of guilt.