Moral emotions and crime: An individual participant data meta-study of shame, guilt, and criminal choice

Anticipated moral emotions of shame and guilt may prevent people from offending, but their effect remains unclear owing to conceptual and methodological limitations. This meta-study provides a more precise estimate of that effect and examines the underlying mechanisms. We re-analysed seven experimental datasets comprising nine outcomes across 18,686 participants from eight countries. Pooled effects of shame and guilt on offending intentions were estimated before and after controlling for one another and for personal norms. Shame and guilt both negatively predicted offending, with effects diminishing, but not disappearing, after adding appropriate covariates. Moral norms and emotions had multiplicative negative effect on offending. The results suggest that emotions and moral norms affect offending intentions may interact,reinforcing each other’s crime prevention effect.