Aim: The overall aim of the thesis was to explore and describe the concepts of guilt and shame and gain a greater understanding of the next-of-kin’s experiences of guilt and shame in end-of-life care. Methods: Study I was a qualitative secondary analysis of 47 interviews with next-of-kin searching for experiences of guilt and shame. In study II a semantic concept analysis of the two concepts guilt and shame was performed. In studies III and IV a hermeneutic approach inspired by Gadamer was used to analyze next-of-kin’s experiences of guilt (Study III), and shame (Study IV) in end-of-life care. Main findings: The concept of guilt focus on behaviour and the concept of shame on the influence on the self.  The situation of being next-of-kin in end-of-life care involves a commitment to make the remaining time for the loved one as good as possible. When, for some reason, the commitment cannot be accomplished there is a risk that the next-of-kin experience guilt such as not having done enough, not having been together during important events, not having talked enough to each other, or not having done the right things. Aspects such as not having fulfilled a commitment, omission, and being the cause of can be present in these experiences. The guilt experience has a focus on what the next-of-kin has, or has not done. The experiences of shame are also linked to a perception that the remaining time for the loved one should be as good as possible. Shame can occur when the next-of-kin is involved and actually causes harm to the loved one as well as in situations that are beyond their control. Shame that the next-of-kin experience can also emanate from being put in situations by other people. Feelings of inferiority and powerlessness, second order shame, and family conflicts that are brought into the open are experiences of shame found in the studies as well as ignominy, humiliation, and disgrace. The shame experience has a focus on the next-of-kin’s self. Conclusion: The situation of being next-of-kin in end-of-life care is complex and demanding, something that health professionals should be aware of. Acknowledgement of experiences of guilt and shame can help the next-of-kin in their adaptation to the end-of-life situation as a whole and maybe also give useful tools to support next-of-kin during bereavement.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of selected television commercials according to Kenneth Burke's theory of the rhetoric of rebirth. A supplementary Burkeian method called cluster analysis was also used. The analysis revealed, that the rhetoric of rebirth was incorporated in the commercials to stimulate guilt in the television audience. The products offered in the commercials supposedly purged this guilt, transforming the person to a new way of life. The analysis revealed meanings inherent in the word choices for various commercials as well as the potential impact of those words. The study isolated several underlying motifs in the substance of the commercials. The effect of the visual message may cause the audience to overlook the message of the words. Experimental research cited in this study confirms this hypothesis.

Forgiveness research has seldom been directed toward alcohol use, misuse, and abuse. To date, forgiveness research in the realm of alcohol use, misuse, and abuse has focused on interpersonal consequences (e.g., Lin, Mack, Enright, Krahn, & Baskin, 2005; Scherer, Worthington, Hook, Campana, West, & Gartner, 2009; Worthington, Scherer, & Cooke, 2006), but has paid minimal attention to intrapersonal consequences. Psychologists today are just beginning to explore the complex and murky waters of self-forgiveness (or lack of it) and the alcohol misuser (e.g., Webb, Robinson, Brower, & Zucker, 2006). In the current dissertation, I review the literature on self-forgiveness, drinking refusal self-efficacy, and alcohol misuse. To explore this phenomena, I created a four-hour self-forgiveness intervention based off Worthington’s (2005) REACH model and motivational interviewing techniques (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). I then conducted the study utilizing a waitlist design with a sample of participants (N = 38) undergoing a routine alcohol rehabilitation protocol in one of two mental health centers in Michigan. The four-hour intervention delivered over three group therapy sessions was found to significantly promote reported levels of self-forgiveness, drinking refusal self-efficacy, and significantly decrease feelings of state guilt and state shame over an alcohol-related offense. I attempt to illustrate the necessity and practicality of the current research in standard addiction treatment. I then discuss in detail the self-forgiveness intervention tailored for alcohol misusing populations and discuss the results. Finally, I will provide a general discussion of the results of the self-forgiveness intervention and how the findings relate to the current body of literature.

The purpose of this study is to understand and describe the experiences of parents of, and clinicians who provide services to, adolescents with co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges, particularly as they relate to issues of guilt, blame, and responsibility. The study is based in a theoretical framework derived from Symbolic Interactionism (Blumer, 1969), Attribution Theory (Heider, 1958), and Barrett`s (1995) Theory of Guilt and Shame. The guiding question the study is: What are the experiences of parents of adolescents with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse challenges and clinicians who provide treatment services around issues of blame, guilt, and responsibility, and how do those experiences shape their collaboration? Twenty three participants engaged in in-depth interviews. The results have been analyzed using a phenomenological approach to qualitative research. The results of the study have been organized within four domains. The first domain, Sources of and Impact of Guilt and Shame was comprised of three themes: (a) Parents experience of guilt related to their behaviors, (b) Parents` experiences of guilt has a serious impact on families, and (c) Guilt and shame felt by parents shaped the therapeutic process. The second domain, Being Blamed and Blaming Others, was comprised of two themes: (a) Feeling blame from every direction and (b) Parents blaming others. The third domain, Potential Pitfalls and Strategies for Success included three themes: (a) Anticipate issues of blame and guilt, (b) Inclusion and exclusion of parents in the therapeutic process, and (c) Clarify the process. The fourth domain is Training and Theoretical Orientation Issues, consisting of two key themes: (a) Theoretical orientation shapes practice with parents and (b) Importance of training specifically focused on working with families. Strengths and limitations of the study, along with implications for clinical practice, social work education, and future research, are discussed.

Children whose mothers go to prison are at high risk for poor outcomes of many kinds,including externalizing behaviors, internalizing disorders, school dropout, and eventual criminal activity. Inhibitory control, moral emotions, emotion regulation, and stressful life events were examined as predictors of externalizing and internalizing behaviors in children of incarcerated mothers. Participants were 50 children age 6 to 12 years (M = 9.77 y, SD = 1.54) with mothers currently in prison who attended a faith-based recreational summer camp. Inhibitory control was not impaired in these children, showing that their brains were functioning appropriately in this area of executive functioning. Inhibitory control did not impact emotion regulation as is usually seen, however. As expected, though, poor emotion regulation predicted both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Lower levels of guilt (a healthy moral emotion) and higher levels of blame (an unhealthy denial of responsibility) predicted externalizing behaviors, while higher levels of shame (an unhealthy self-deprecation) predicted internalizing behaviors. A lower level of guilt also predicted the presence of callous/unemotional traits. Almost half the children experienced four or more life stressors within the past year; stressors predicted feelings of sadness and anxiety as opposed to externalizing problems, and not problems with emotion regulation. Results indicated that children who experienced the incarceration of their mothers have the cognitive and moral tools with which to regulate their emotions, but they do not always use these tools. Poor emotion regulation puts children at risk of difficulties ranging from psychopathy to long-lasting peer and relationship problems. One possibility is that their behaviors are learned and purposeful; perhaps their home and neighborhood environments modeled and reinforced out-of-control behavior. Suggestions for interventions include increasing the understanding of the impact of emotional self-understanding on self-control and behaviors, using strategies that employ both a cognitive and moral focus.

Institute of agreement on guilt and punishment, was implemented into Czech criminal law by Act No. 193/2012 Coll. in 2012 and came into force on 1th September 2012. The institute belongs among diversions from standard criminal proceedings. The purpose of its introducing was an effort to increase efficiency of criminal proceedings. Generally, this instute is typical in common law system, however several countries with continental legal system have already introduced agreement on guilt and punishment into their criminal law - for example: Spain, Germany, Italy and Slovakia. In particular, the Slovakian agreement on guilt and punishment constituted fundamental basis for the Czech version of the agreement. The inspiration for choosing this topic for my Master's thesis was formed by internship at district prosecutor of Prague 4. I have had an option to attend conclusion of the agreement during the process there as well. The thesis is divided into six chapters, which are accompanied by my personal experiences from the internship. Each of them is dealing with different aspects of the institute. The content of the first and the second chapters are reasons for implementing of the institute and detailed analysis de lege lata and I have solved also a question in these chapters namely, if the agreement is in...

The aim of my diploma thesis is to deal with recently enacted institute named agreement on guilt and punishment which was incorporated to the Code of Criminal Procedure by Act No. 193/2012 Coll. This Act also widen field of application of existing alternative procedures. The aim pursued by legislator is to achieve the increase of effectivity of criminal proceedings in the Czech Republic. My diploma thesis is divided into three main chapters. In the first chapter can be found presentation of existing alternatives procedures in the czech criminal proceedings with accent to the changes made by Act No. 192/2012 Coll. At the end of the first chapter there are statictical records showing the use of particular alternative procedures. In the second chapter I present and analyze the agreement of guilt and punishment. This chapter contains definition, history of evolution and conditions of use of the agreement of guilt and punishment. In the last chapter we can find comparison of the agreement of guilt and punishment to french institute named la Comparution sur reconaissance préalable de culpabilité which aims to provide inspiration for potential future changes of this procedure.

This study focuses on the relation between the picareque genre and the way in which guilt is processed in literature. André Brink’s Inteendeel (On the contrary) was used in this examination and also, for a wider perspective than merely the South African situation, Arthur Japin’s De zwarte met het witte hart (The two hearts of Aquasi Boachi). The possibilities offerd by the picaresque in order to investigate the manifestation of guilt in literary texts were explored with the theories of, inter alia, Wicks, Ricoeur and Todorov. Tracing the origins of the picaresque reveals that this type of text exhibits specific characteristics, e.g. an unethical attitude that is usually imposed on the individual by a society in crisis – “guilt” and a confessional tone are therefore intrinsically part of the picaresque. Using Wicks’s modal-generic approach, the two novels are examined with the purpose of determining their degree of “picaresqueness” to test the validity of the hypothesis, i.e. that the more a text displays picaresque characteristics, the more the issue of guilt would be a central theme to that text. In the two novels relevant to this study, colonial guilt is the main form of guilt examined. / Prof. W. Burger

Agreement on guilt and punishment This master's dissertation focuses on a relatively new juridical institute of the criminal procedural law, which is agreement on guilt and punishment. This institute was incorporated in the Czech legal system by the Act No. 193/2012 Coll., which took effect from 1st September, 2012. The main purpose for the incorporation was acceleration and efficiency of criminal proceedings as well as lightening the burden of courts, which are overloaded due to excessive amount of new cases. The master's dissertation is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the inclusion of plea bargaining in the system of the Code of Criminal Procedure and on the institute of agreement on guilt and punishment in comparison with other diversions. A brief introduction to the basic principles of retributive and restorative justice is also included in this chapter. The second chapter covers the historical development of incorporating plea bargaining into Czech legislation and the legislative process itself. The basic arguments both in and against favour of the institute are outlined, especially taking into account the principles of Czech criminal proceeding. The third chapter contains a detailed analysis of relevant legislation and is divided into two parts, the first focusing...

This master`s thesis deals with the topic of agreement on guilt and punishment, which was introduced into Czech criminal procedure code in 2012. The agreement on guilt and punishment represents an alternative way of solving criminal cases. The agreement is entered into by the prosecutor and the accused, while taking into account the interests of the injured party. A precondition of the conclusion of an agreement on guilt and punishment is the declaration of the accused that they committed the act for which they are prosecuted. The prosecutor proposes the adequate punishment for the act committed and the final version of the agreement has to be approved by the court. For the accused, this procedure means a mitigation of the sentence in exchange for a declaration of committing an act. An advantage for the law enforcement authorities is shorter and simplified criminal procedure. Other benefits of the conclusion of the agreement on guilt and punishment are the cost savings and the protection of injured parties. The institute of agreement on guilt and punishment has its origin in the Anglo-American legal system where it is one of the pillars of the criminal process. In the Czech context, however, it is a foreign and controversial institute, which is subject to strong criticism mainly by legal theorists....