Acknowledging group privilege triggers collective rather than individual guilt
Evidence
In contrast, Devine, Monteith, Zuwerink, and Elliot (1991) have offered empirical support for reports of White guilt. However, guilt for Devine et al. stems from a personal violation of standards in a particular situation rather than a general feeling of corporate or collective guilt. Collective guilt is not necessarily a result of one’s own prejudicial behavior. Instead, it is a result of knowledge of the advantages one receives from being in a privileged group. It is the latter form of guilt that is the focus of our article. — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 25
Yet if Whites become aware of White privilege, they may realize their group is over benefited in relation to Blacks – a realization that can result in distress. This distress should include feelings of collective guilt rather than individual guilt, because although Whites may not personally feel responsible for the inequity, they still acknowledge the privileged status of their group (Steele, 1990). Therefore, accepting the reality of group-based privilege and considering the injustice such unearned privilege creates in society may activate feelings of collective guilt and motivate Whites to reject White privilege (McIntosh, 1998; Swim & Miller, 1999; Tatum, 1994). Earlier work on guilt at the individual level theorized that individuals could feel guilty for acts they did not personally commit, but that were committed by a group to which they belonged (Hoffman, 1994). In a way, the individual would be feeling guilty by association with a group of others who had committed a wrong. In support of this notion of collective guilt, Bulka (1987) reports that some devout Jewish people feel guilt and ask for forgiveness for sins of other Jewish people on a daily basis although they did not personally commit the sins. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 436
Categorization
- DEFINE: Distinguishes personal guilt from collective/corporate guilt, defining the construct at issue in the reader’s investigation.
- XREF: The ‘guilt by group association’ mechanism parallels how Ambedkar-type group harm flows through membership not personal acts, and the devotional guilt of religious communities resembles ritual sacrificial responsibility threads. — connects to: Collective guilt is felt when the self’s group illegitimately harmed another group — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 0; Acknowledging group privilege triggers guilt that motivates reparative policy support — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 426; Perceived group responsibility for inequity produces collective guilt — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 441 (+10 more)
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt: Its Antecedents and…, 25; Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 436
Broader Connections
- Guilt about group privilege may both require and discourage White identity
#exemplifies(0.85) — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 31 - Perceived group responsibility for inequity produces collective guilt
#expands(0.82) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 441 - Guilt requires self-categorizing as a group member
#qualifies(0.80) — Torsten Masson and Markus Barth, The identification-guilt paradox…, 20 - Group identification can both enable and block feelings of group-based guilt
#qualifies(0.78) — Sonia Roccas and Yechiel Klar and Ido Liviatan, The Paradox of Group-Based Guilt, 16