The Relationships between Function of Guilt, Degree of Guilt, and School Adjustment in Junior High School Students

Abstract

This study investigated the function of guilt among junior high school students, and examined the relationship among the function of guilt, degree of guilt, and school adjustment among junior high school students. 596 junior high school students completed a questionnaire. The main results were as follows. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis of the Function of Guilt Scale revealed 4 factors: “self-improvement,” “reflection,” “arousal of negative feelings,” and “consideration of others.” In Study 2, structural equation modeling analysis indicated the following: (a) the degree of guilt that students experienced in their school life had a positive effect on their function of guilt, (b)“self-improvement,” “reflection,” and “consideration to others” had positive effects on school adjustment, and (c)“arousal of negative feeling” had negative effects on school adjustment.