Guilt, prosocial behaviour, and compliance among students who received the Pandemic Unemployment Payment
Authors
O’Byrne Doran, Aaron
Issue Date
2022
Degree
BA Hons in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
A large volume of research suggests links between guilt, prosocial behaviour and compliance. To test these theories in the context of negative media coverage and financial gain from the PUP, a representative sample (n = 80) of fulltime students was surveyed. A quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study was employed using psychological scales to collect data. The results indicate that negative media coverage had no significant impact on levels of self-reported guilt. There was a strong positive significant relationship between perceived significant financial gain from the PUP and levels of self-reported guilt. Results indicate a strong positive significant relationship between levels of guilt and prosocial behaviour, and between levels of guilt and compliance scores. Gender did not impact on self-reported guilt levels. The results from this study will add to existing research on the effects of guilt on prosocial behaviour and compliance. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.