Collective guilt is felt when the self’s group illegitimately harmed another group

Evidence

When the self is categorized as a member of a group, emotions can be experienced for actions committed by one’s group. Collective guilt reflects the remorse that is felt when one’s group has illegitimately harmed another group and not repaired the damage done. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 0

Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) suggests that because the self can be construed at either the personal or collective identity level, self-conscious emotional responses might stem from either personal or group-based responsibility perceptions. Indeed, collective guilt can be experienced even when the personal self played no role in causing the harm to others, but one’s ingroup is perceived to be responsible for the harm doing (Doosje et al., 1998). When the individual self-categorizes as a member of a group and the harm done to the other group is contextually salient, collective guilt will be most likely to the extent that the ingroup’s actions are appraised as illegitimate (see Branscombe & Miron, 2004). In contrast, if the self is not categorized in terms of the group responsible for the harm doing, or the ingroup’s harmful actions are perceived as justified, then little collective guilt is likely to be experienced. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 147

Our other key contribution is in articulating and pointing to evidence for a core model of collective guilt. Collective guilt in a high status group arises from a perception that some other group has suffered harm that has not been repaired. This in turn motivates efforts toward reparation. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 864

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines collective guilt as group-based remorse requiring perceived illegitimacy of harm and lack of repair.
• XREF: The two appraisals here — illegitimacy and responsibility — are the background against which Roccas splits glorifiers from attachers, per the reader’s stated interest. — connects to: People are capable of feeling collective guilt for their groups’ wrongs — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 372; Collective guilt follows unrepentant perceived wrongdoing and motivates repair — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 817; Perceiving a group’s wrongdoing as situationally justifiable blocks collective guilt — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 297 (+17 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 0; Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 147; Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 864

Broader Connections

• Group members feel collective guilt for historical ingroup harm they did not cause. #exemplifies (0.88) — Nurit Shnabel and Johannes Ullrich, Identity Needs in Intergroup Relations, 56
• People are capable of feeling collective guilt for their groups’ wrongs #expands (0.85) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 372
• Perceived group responsibility for inequity produces collective guilt #expands (0.85) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 441
• Collective guilt requires admitting in-group responsibility and spurs reparations #corroborates (0.85) — Emanuele Castano, On the Perils of Glorifying the In-group, 65
• Group members feel guilt by association without personal responsibility for the harm. #exemplifies (0.85) — Michael T. Schmitt, Daniel A. Miller, Nyla R. Branscombe, and Jack W. Brehm, The Difficulty of Making Reparations…, 15
• Perceiving a group’s wrongdoing as situationally justifiable blocks collective guilt #qualifies (0.82) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 297
• Highly identified group members resist feeling collective guilt by reinterpreting events #complicates (0.82) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2278
• Collective guilt is distress over ingroup immorality without legal responsibility #expands (0.80) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 70
• Perceived justification of ingroup harm blocks collective guilt regardless of harm severity #qualifies (0.80) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 156
• The most loyal group members are least likely to feel collective guilt #complicates (0.80)
• Collective guilt follows unrepentant perceived wrongdoing and motivates repair #qualifies (0.78) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 817
• Guilt requires self-categorizing as a group member #qualifies (0.78) — Torsten Masson and Markus Barth, The identification-guilt paradox…, 20
• Acknowledging group privilege triggers collective rather than individual guilt #exemplifies (0.75) — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 25