Mediating Effects of Guilt and Shame on the Helping Behavior of People who Have Witnessed Ostracism.

This article investigates how feelings of guilt and shame mediate the helping behavior of third-party witnesses toward individuals experiencing ostracism, defined as social exclusion or being ignored by a group. In an online experiment with Japanese participants, witnessing ostracism increased both guilt and shame; guilt was found to promote helping behaviors toward the ostracized, while shame inhibited such actions. Although no direct difference in helping behavior was observed between witnessing ostracism or inclusion, mediation analysis revealed these opposing emotional effects, highlighting the complex role of bystander emotions in responses to social exclusion. The findings suggest that interventions fostering guilt rather than shame among witnesses may encourage prosocial support for ostracized individuals, with implications for promoting inclusivity in social and organizational contexts.