When style meets strategy: testing the moderating role of regulation strategies in the association between emotional style and self-conscious emotions.

INTRODUCTION

Shame- and guilt-proneness represent relatively stable tendencies to experience self-conscious emotions following perceived transgressions. Shame-proneness has traditionally been linked to negative self-evaluation, whereas guilt-proneness has been associated with responsibility-taking and repair. However, both tendencies are increasingly considered in relation to broader emotional functioning and regulatory processes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study investigated whether the emotional-style dimensions outlook (sustained positive affect) and resilience (recovery from negative emotional states) are associated with shame- and guilt-proneness, and whether cognitive reappraisal and suppression moderate these associations. Participants (N = 331 adults) completed an online survey including the Questionnaire of Emotional Style (FEMOS), the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA-SP), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ).

RESULTS

Structural path analyses showed consistent negative associations of positive outlook and resilience with shame-proneness, whereas suppression was positively associated with shame-proneness. Outlook was also positively associated with guilt-proneness in the model including suppression but not in the model including cognitive reappraisal. Overall, shame-proneness appeared to be more consistently associated with broader emotional functioning, including individual differences in maintaining positive affect, recovering from negative emotional states, and habitual suppression of emotional expression. In contrast, guilt-proneness showed a more selective pattern of associations involving positive outlook and cognitive reappraisal, potentially reflecting a more constructive orientation toward processing and responding to perceived transgressions. However, none of the tested interaction effects reached significance, indicating that habitual emotion regulation strategies did not significantly moderate the associations between emotional style and shame- or guilt-proneness.

DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that different aspects of emotional functioning and regulation contribute to individual differences in self-conscious emotional experiences, while their interplay may be more complex than assumed.