Can Perspective-Taking Reduce Crime? Examining a Pathway Through Empathic-Concern and Guilt-Proneness

We describe and appraise a theoretical model in which individual differences in perspective-taking eventuate in crime reduction. specifically,it is hypothesized that perspective-taking propensities influence the tendency to feel empathic-concern,thereby heightening proneness for guilt,which ultimately inhibits criminal behavior (perspective-taking → empathic-concern → guilt-proneness → crime desistance). data from two sources were analyzed: (a) a cross-sectional college sample and (b) a longitudinal sample of jail inmates. overall,results lend credence to this theoretical model: perspective-taking propensities ultimately “put the brakes” on criminal behavior—via an emotional pathway of empathic-concern and then guilt-proneness. discussion focuses on the nature of perspective-taking,its generative role for moral emotion and behavior,as well as potential applications for crime reduction. © 2014 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.