Guilt and shame: an axiomatic analysis

Using the machinery of Game Theory, this article analyzes how shame and guilt affect preferences. Based on abundant psychological literature, we posit that the preference ordering of someone who can feel shame (or guilt) must satisfy a number of axioms and prove that it can be represented by a parti...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: López Pérez, Raúl
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2009
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/375126
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/375126
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Guilt
Inferiority feelings
Norms
Reciprocity
Self
Shame
Social adaptation
Descripción
Sumario:Using the machinery of Game Theory, this article analyzes how shame and guilt affect preferences. Based on abundant psychological literature, we posit that the preference ordering of someone who can feel shame (or guilt) must satisfy a number of axioms and prove that it can be represented by a particular utility function. Understanding how shame and guilt work is important to explain why people respect social norms and exhibit prosocial behavior, many times contrary to their material interest.