RECOGNITION OF SELF-CONSCIOUS EMOTIONS IN RELATION TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY İREM MOTAN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY DECEMBER 2007 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Nebi Sümer Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faruk Gençöz Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Soykan (M+ PSYCH) _______________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faruk Gençöz (METU, PSY) _______________________ Dr. Nedret Öztan (INST. PSY. SER) _______________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bengi Öner-Özkan (METU, PSY) _______________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz (METU, PSY) _______________________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Signature: iii ABSTRACT RECOGNITION OF SELF-CONSCIOUS EMOTIONS IN RELATION TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY MOTAN, İrem PhD., Psychology Department Supervisor:Assoc. Prof. Faruk Gençöz December 2007, 292 pages The aim of this study is to discover nonverbal, bodily gestures and contextual cues indicating self-conscious emotions and use these clues to examine personal differences and psychopathological symptoms. Moreover, possible effects of cultural differences on self-conscious emotions’ recognition and their relation to psychopathology are meant to be discussed. To achieve aforementioned goals, the study is partitioned into three separate but interdependent phases. The aim of the first study is scale adaptation for which the State Shame and Guilt Scale, Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3, Guilt-Shame Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory are applied to a group of 250 university students. The second study’s objective is to determine the nonverbal expressions used in recognition of self-conscious emotions. To meet this goal, 5 TAT cards, whose compatibility with the research questions is verified, are applied to 45 university students in separate sessions by using close ended questions. In the third part of the study, 9 TAT cards, which include clues about recognition and nonverbal expressions of self-conscious emotions, adapted corresponding scales, and a psychopathological symptoms measuring scale (SCL-90) in self-report format are applied on a group of 250 university students. Factor and correlation analyses done in the first part reveal that adapted scales are reliable and valid, while group comparisons and measurements of the second part iv indicate differences in emotions. Findings reveal that shame can be recognized by nonverbal expressions whereas for guilt contextual clues are facilitated. In the third part, group comparisons and regression analyses, which are done in order to reveal self-conscious emotions’ recognition and their significant relationships with psychopathology, display that state self-conscious emotions and shame-proneness have very important roles on psychopathology. All these findings are discussed in the light of cultural effects. Keywords: Self-conscious emotions, guilt, shame, nonverbal expressions, TAT, shame-proneness, psychopathological symptoms v ÖZ MORAL DUYGULARIN TANINMASI VE PSİKOPATOLOJİ İLE İLİŞKİLERİ MOTAN, İrem Doktora, Psikoloji Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Faruk Gençöz Aralık 2007, 292 sayfa Bu çalışma, moral duyguların tanınması konusunda yardımcı olan sözsüz, bedensel ve/veya durumsal ipuçlarını tespit etmeyi, böylece bu ipuçlarını kullanarak moral duyguları tanıma açısından oluşabilecek bazı kişilerarası farklılıkları kişilik özellikleri ve psikopatolojik belirtilerle ilişkiler bağlamında yorumlamayı hedeflemektedir. Ayrıca, moral duygular, bu duyguların tanınması ve psikopatoloji ile ilişkileri konusunda kültürün olası etkilerinin tartışılması amaçlanmaktadır. Bu araştırma ana hedeflerine ulaşmak için, birbiriyle ilişkili ancak bağımsız yürütülen üç ayrı aşamadan oluşmaktadır. Ölçek uyarlaması amacıyla yapılan ilk aşamada üniversite öğrencilerinden oluşan 250 kişilik örneklemde, Durumluk Utanç ve Suçluluk Ölçeği, Moral Duygulanım Testi, Suçluluk-Utanç Ölçeği, Durumluk- Sürekli Kaygı Envanteri ve Beck Depresyon Envanteri ölçekleri uygulanmıştır. Moral duyguların tanınmasında kullanılan sözsüz ifadelerin tespiti amacıyla yapılan ikinci aşamada araştırma sorularına uygunluğu belirlenen 5 TAT kartı, amaca yönelik hazırlanmış kapalı uçlu sorularla 45 üniversite öğrencisine ayrı oturumlarda uygulanmıştır. Üçüncü aşamada, moral duyguların sözsüz anlatımlarını ve bu duyguların tanınabileceği bazı durumsal ipuçlarını içeren 9 TAT kartı ile uyarlaması yapılmış ilgili ölçekler ve psikopatoloji semptomlarının düzeylerini belirleyecek bir ölçüm (SCL-90) anket biçiminde 250 üniversite öğrencisine uygulanmıştır. vi İlk aşamada yapılan faktör ve korelasyon analizleri uyarlanan ölçeklerin güvenilir ve geçerli olduğu; ikinci aşamada yapılan grup karşılaştırmaları ve oranlamalarla, duyguların farklılıkları olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Bulgular utanç duygusunun sözsüz ifadeden tanınabildiğini, suçluluk için ise durumsal ipuçlarından yararlanıldığını işaret etmektedir. Son aşamada moral duyguların tanınması ve psikopatoloji arasındaki anlamlı ilişkileri ortaya koymak için yapılan çeşitli grup karşılaştırmaları ve regresyon analizleri, durumsal moral duyguların ve utanca yatkınlık özelliğinin psikopatoloji konusunda çok önemli rolleri olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Tüm bulgular ilgili literatür ışığında, kültürel etkiler göz önüne alınarak tartışılmıştır. Anahtar kelimeler: Moral duygular, suçluluk, utanç, sözsüz ifadeler, TAT, utanca yatkınlık, psikopatolojik belirtileri vii To Blacky viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Life is a story which has lots of chapters. Everything we do is a new chapter. We live our life stories throughout different new chapters but with the same themes, over and over again. The chapters have morals based on heroism, dignity, respect, reputation, power and most of all, love. This is the end of a chapter in my life story. If we change one little aspect of such a chapter, we may change the whole story. Such a chapter, if we allow it, can trap us. For example, it can easily become the treadmill which is a monotonous and seemingly endless task; or, rather than put us wise and powerful, it can destruct and reduce us. Happy endings reunite us all together until everything fits. Therefore being the main character does not mean to be the hero in this story. The will and determination of the main character are necessary but not sufficient for dissertation process. This end is created by the help of a number of people with a great deal of support. These people were very generous to give their support to me to achieve the happy ending, now it is my pleasure to acknowledge them. I would like to express my special gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor, Associate Professor Dr. Faruk Gençöz, for his guidance and effort to direct my dissertation as well as teach me how to understand and feel my emotions. My most sincere gratitude goes to the other members of my dissertation committee. Without the knowledge and support of Associate Professor Dr. Tulin Gençöz, I may not to achieve a happy end. While she supposed to teach me how to think clear-cut, she was actually teach me to be a good professor. Special thanks go to Associate Professor Dr. Çiğdem Soykan who was the member of my supervising committee. She shaped my way of being by her positive energy and open thoughts sharing to me. She encouraged me what I really want to do with her valuable advices, in a way she thought me how to behave throughout the whole story. ix I would like to thank my examining committee members, Associate Professor Dr. Bengi Öner-Özkan and Dr. Nedret Öztan for their contributions to my narrative. They were key characters in terms of their precious supports and guidance they gave for the dissertation and their warmth and calming presence for me. The happy ending would not have fit without their kind and generous agreement. Special thanks go to Lanan Ece Abana for giving me the motivation for both this chapter and the rest of the story. I would like to thank to Emre Şenol-Durak and Mithat Durak for their assistance in the data collection process and also for being such good friends. I owe a big dept to Kamuran Üzer for being a good professional look on editing the text as well as for being a valuable friend of mine. I also thank to my department colleagues, especially to Gaye Çenesiz and Öznur Öncül for their support which has made this dissertation process easier. I would like to thank my old friend, Özlem Bozo who has never left me alone. Special thanks go to my roommates Olga S.Hünler, Bahar Öz, and Orçun Yorulmaz because of their patience and companionship. I would like express my gratitude for all my friends, too many to name here, for they patiently wait for a happy ending of this chapter. My life is meaningless without my friends whether they are still alive or not. This story is dedicated to my dearest friend Blacky.