연인관계에서 거짓을 말하는 기만자가 경험하는 자기의식 정서: 죄책감과 수치심을 중심으로 = Self-Conscious Emotions Experienced by Deceivers Lying in Romantic Relationships: Focusing on Guilt and Shame

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study explored the relationships among deception, attachment, and self-conscious emotions (guilt and shame) in romantic relationships. First, differences in the levels of self-conscious emotions were examined according to types of deception (Falsification, concealment, and equivocation). Second, factors influencing self-conscious emotions were investigated, focusing on communication frequency, deception use, and attachment orientations. Finally, the moderating roles of attachment styles (anxious attachment and avoidant attachment) in the relationship between deception use and self-conscious emotions were examined. To achieve these goals, an online survey was conducted with 325 individuals (162 men and 163 women) who had been in a romantic relationship for at least six months. Participants were selected using a stratified sampling method with equal allocation by gender and age group. The results revealed several key findings. First, significant differences in levels of self-conscious emotions were found across types of deception, with concealment eliciting the highest levels of self-conscious emotions, followed by equivocation and fabrication. Second, face-to-face interaction frequency, deception use, anxious attachment, and avoidant attachment were identified as significant predictors of self-conscious emotions. Specifically, higher levels of deception use and stronger anxious and avoidant attachment orientations were associated with higher levels of self-conscious emotions, whereas more frequent face-to-face interactions were associated with lower levels of self-conscious emotions. Finally, both anxious and avoidant attachment served as moderators in the relationship between deception and self-conscious emotions; however, the nature of these moderating effects differed depending on the type of self-conscious emotion (guilt vs. shame).
Taken together, these findings suggest that self-conscious emotions experienced by deceivers following deception function as important relational cues for relationship repair in romantic relationships. Based on these findings, practical implications for romantic relationship communication interventions were discussed, particularly focusing on post-deception emotional responses and attachment-based communication patterns.