Helping the one you hurt: Toddlers’ rudimentary guilt, shame, and prosocial behavior after harming another

Drummond, Jesse D K; Hammond, Stuart I; Satlof-Bedrick, Emma; Waugh, Whitney E; Brownell, Celia A

doi:10.1111/cdev.12653

Cited by 68Emotions and Moral BehaviorChild and Animal Learning DevelopmentChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Helping the one you hurt: Toddlers’ rudimentary guilt, shame, and prosocial behavior after harming another

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Drummond, Jesse D K, Hammond, Stuart I, Satlof-Bedrick, Emma, Waugh, Whitney E, Brownell, Celia A·2017·Child Development

DOI 10.1111/cdev.12653PMC PMC5411344

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Abstract

Abstract This study explored the role of guilt and shame in early prosocial behavior by extending previous findings that guilt- and shame-like responses can be distinguished in toddlers and, for the first time, examining their associations with helping. Toddlers (n = 32; Mage = 28.9 months) were led to believe they broke an adult's toy, after which they exhibited either a guilt-like response that included frequently confessing their behavior and trying to repair the toy; or a shame-like response that included frequently avoiding the adult and seldom confessing or attempting to repair the toy. In subsequent prosocial tasks, children showing a guilt-like response helped an adult in emotional distress significantly faster and more frequently than did children showing a shame-like response.

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Guilt is a pro-social emotion that drives apologetic behavior; one ceases to feel guilt when the issue they have caused is perceived to be resolved.
“Guilt is a pro-social emotion that drives apologetic behavior; one ceases to feel guilt when the issue they have caused is perceived to be resolved [21].”
From Shame or What Makes Irrational Social Anxiety Rational. (2025) · cites this paper as [21]
The Guilt and Shame section says people experiencing guilt seek to alleviate discomfort by repairing the consequences of their actions, and the Results describe more reparative and confessional behavior among guilt-prone toddlers. This supports a link between guilt and reparative behavior, but the paper does not establish that guilt ceases once a person perceives the issue as resolved; it also does not specifically demonstrate that guilt drives apologies. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Authors: Drummond, J. D. K., Hammond, S. I., Satlof-Bedrick, E., Waugh, W. E., & Brownell, C. A.
Affiliations: University of Pittsburgh
University of Ottawa (CA)
University of Pittsburgh (US)
ORCID: Hammond, Stuart I
Brownell, Celia A
Venue: Child Development
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 2017-07-01
Volume: 88
Issue: 4
Pages: 1382-1397
ISSN: 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
1467-8624
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12653
PMC: PMC5411344
OpenAlex: W2544521168
Cited by: 68
References: 67
Citations by year: 2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4
FWCI: 7.86
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights (vor)
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Child Development (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD064972)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords: guilt, shame, toddlers, prosocial behavior, helping behavior, emotional distress, self-regulation, moral emotions, confession, social rejection
MeSH terms: Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Female, Guilt, Helping Behavior, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Shame

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Helping the one you hurt: Toddlers’ rudimentary guilt, shame, and prosocial behavior after harming another

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