The Relationship between Moral Emotions of Shame, Guilt, and Moral Identity among Undergraduate Students in Indonesia

Previous research on moral emotion and moral identity was conducted particularly on guilt in the field of sports. However, the moral emotions do not include shame and guilt, which were important in investigating the relationship between moral emotions, such as shame and guilt, and moral identity. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of shame and guilt with moral identity. Participants are 520 undergraduate students from all over Indonesia. The participants accomplished the Moral Identity Questionnaire and the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 questionnaire. The results showed that the moral emotions of shame and guilt were associated with moral identity, but the moral emotion of shame embodied a stronger influence on moral identity. The study results show that the moral emotions of shame and guilt have a positive correlation with moral identity. The results of this study showed different results in Western culture, where moral guilt was associated with moral identity. The implications of this study are the need for parents and teachers to develop guilty moral emotions because the impact of these moral emotions is more constructive and can encourage individuals to engage in moral action. The results show that with higher moral emotions of guilt, moral identity decreases. The results of this study indicate the need for further research on the factors that affect the moral identity of undergraduate students in Indonesia.