The present study examined guilt ('zaiakukan' in Japanese), shame and embarrassment ('haji' or'shuchishin'), and their relationships to personality traits. Two hundred ninety-two (292) Japanese under-graduates answered Situational Guilt Inventory, Situational Shyness Questionnaire, Self-Consciousness Scale, and the Big Five Scale. Results showed that guilt and shame/embarrassment had high, positive correlations among their subscales. With the effect of shame/embarrassment controlled, guilt had a positive correlation with agreeableness and private self-consciousness. With guilt controlled, shame/embarrassment had a positive correlation with neuroticism and public self-consciousness, and a negative one with extraversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness. These results indicated that guilt had some social adaptive function, and shame/embarrassment had some bearing on maladaptive behaviors. The relationship of guilt,shame/embarrassment, and self-consciousness was different for men and women, and the difference was discussed in terms of sex roles.
Key words: guilt, shame, embarrassment, self-consciousness,personality
traits