Self-conscious affects: their adaptive functions and relationship to depressive mood
Abstract
This study used a structural equation model to examine the influence of resilience on the four self-conscious affects (guilt-proneness, shame-proneness, externalization, and detachment) assessed in the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) and their impact on depressive mood. Our subject population consisted of 447 Japanese university students. The first analysis explored which TOSCA-3 affects help an individual adapt to stressful situations. The concept of "resilience" was used as an indicator to evaluate the adaptive functions. We based this on the assumption that an individual with higher resilience is able to use more adaptive affects. In the second analysis, taking the above relationship between resilience and the self-conscious affects into consideration, we examined how those variables as well as a negative life event are related to depressive mood. To assess the resilience level and depressive mood, we adopted the Resilience Scale (RS) and Self-rating Depressive Scale (SDS), respectively. The first analysis showed that the more resilient an individual was, the more prone they were to "detachment" and the less "shame" they experienced. The level of resilience did not have a significant effect on "guilt" or "externalization." In the second analysis we found that "resilience" had a direct inverse effect on depressive mood that was also mediated by "shame" and "detachment." We discuss how the particular self-conscious affects comprising each adaptive function are related to depressive mood.
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Research indicates higher detachment correlates with lower shame and with higher resilience.
“Given research indicating higher detachment correlates with lower shame and with higher resilience (Luyten et al., 2002; Uji et al., 2011), these increases suggest a positive therapeutic impact.”
From Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of compassion-focused acceptance and commitment therapy delivered via telehealth in a community behavioral health clinic (2025) · cites this paper as Uji et al., 2011
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- Authors
- Uji, M., Kitamura, T., & Nagata, T.
- Affiliations
- Kumamoto University (JP)
- Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare (JP)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychotherapy
- Published
- 2011-01
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 27-46
- ISSN
- 0002-9564 (ISSN-L)
- 2575-6559
- OpenAlex
- W228417220
- Cited by
- 12
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychotherapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- self-conscious emotions, resilience, depressive mood, guilt proneness, shame proneness, externalization, detachment, adaptive function, negative life events, university students, Japanese students
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Depression, Female, Guilt, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Models, Psychological, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self Concept, Resilience, Psychological
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