Investigating the effects of moral foundations, guilt, and shame on obsessive beliefs through regression analysis

This research has investigated the relationship between obsessive beliefs and moral foundations, guilt, and shame. Further, the literature synthesizes that moral foundations are strong predictors of obsessive beliefs, with guilt and shame related to such beliefs. On the other hand, general models that place these variables under joint investigation are absent from the literature. In an effort to fill this gap, the present study investigates the effects of moral foundations, guilt, and shame on obsessive beliefs using a comprehensive model. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that moral foundations significantly predicted obsessive beliefs and shame statistically significantly strengthened this relationship. The inclusion of guilt into the model, however, did not result in a significant effect on obsessive beliefs. These results suggested that obsessive beliefs relate significantly to moral foundations and feelings of shame. From a clinical perspective, the differential conceptualization of guilt and shame will be important in understanding and treating obsessive beliefs more effectively. Findings from the study showed that moral foundations, guilt, and shame can be used in a therapeutic framework and would most likely enable better treatment outcomes and efficiency. The research is indeed an important starting point for further studies aimed at developing an overall understanding of the cognition and remediation of obsessive beliefs and obsessive-compulsive disorder.