Self-conscious emotions and self-forgiveness among Jordanian substance abusers

Abstract EN

Substance abusers experience self-conscious emotions, such as shame and guilt, which may create conditions of maladjusted coping through more substance abuse.

Self-forgiveness, as an emotion-focused coping strategy, has an adaptive capability to relinquish these painful emotions.

Nevertheless, a humble number of research and investigation have been conducted to investigate such hypotheses in clinical settings, especially in a Jordanian context.

The current study aims at investigating the relationship between the self-conscious emotions of shame and guilt and self-forgiveness among Jordanian substance abusers.

Participants are 100 Jordanian substance abusers )100% male( receiving residential treatment for substance abuse in two addiction treatment centers in Jordan.

Respondents have flled out self-report measures of shame, guilt, and self-forgiveness.

Results indicate that there is a statistically signifcant negative relationship between the selfconscious emotions of shame and self-forgiveness While the emotions of guilt have a statistically insignifcant negative relationship with self-forgiveness.

Furthermore, results indicate that shame and guilt predict only R2 = 0.10 of the variances in self-forgiveness which is very weak.

Finally, results reveal a low level of shame, a high level of guilt, and a moderate level of self-forgiveness among Jordanian substance abusers.