Functionality of counterfactual thinking in interpersonal and intergroup relationships

The main purpose of this dissertation was to open the pave for counterfactual thinking research in Turkey. The second aim was to fulfill a broader gap in counterfactual thinking research, which is to examine the functionality of counterfactuals in both interpersonal and intergroup relationships. Three studies were conducted to serve these purposes. First, by the Study 1 (N = 1127), the Counterfactual Thinking for Negative Events Scale (CTNES; Rye, Cahoon, Ali, & Daftary, 2008) was adapted into Turkish. Its correlations with depression, rumination, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and optimism-pessimism were also tested. In the Study 2 (experimental; N = 110), differences between counterfactual types in relation to reparative intentions in interpersonal relations were questioned, and mediator roles of blame, regret, and quilt were examined in explaining this relationship. By the Study 3 (experimental; N = 44), based on the results of the Study 2, functionality of self-upward counterfactual thinking was investigated in intergroup relationships. In findings of Study 1, confirmatory factor analysis yielded good fit indices for the CTNES. Scores obtained from internal reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity also showed that the CTNES is a reliable and valid tool to use in Turkish sample. Correlations of the CTNES with other variables were also discussed in terms of functionality and dysfunctionality of counterfactuals. Moreover, Study 2 found out that only self-upward counterfactual thinking significantly predicted the reparative intentions in interpersonal relations, and negative emotions of blame, regret, and guilt mediated this relationship. Finally, Study 3 revealed that counterfactual thinking in intergroup level did not have any significant effect on both self-focused negative emotions and reparative intentions in intergroup conflicts. All findings were discussed in the light of the Functional Theory of Counterfactual Thinking and the related literature. Keywords: Counterfactual thinking, functional negative emotions, reparative intentions, interpersonal conflicts, intergroup conflicts