From guilt to disgust: The moral-emotional profile of obsessions in Turkish and Belgian participants

Accumulating evidence suggests that obsessive-compulsive disorder is closely linked to morality. However, current psychological models often overlook the role of moral emotions in the etiology and treatment of the disorder. This study examines key moral emotions across different types of obsessions in student samples from two cultures with distinct moral emphases. Students from Turkey (N = 362, Mage = 20.75, 86% female) and Belgium (N = 247, Mage = 18.40, 84% female) participated in the study. They rated the frequency of seven emotions—shame, guilt, embarrassment, anger, contempt, disgust, and fear—in response to statements representing four obsession domains: aggressive, sexual, contamination, and just-right doubts. Obsession dimensions were assessed using the Revised Leuven Obsessional Intrusions Inventory (LOII-R). Additionally, a novel scale was developed specifically for this study to measure moral emotions. A mixed-design ANOVA revealed that guilt, shame, disgust, and anger were common across obsessions in both cultures, with varying frequencies. Cross-culturally, "just-right" doubts and aggressive obsessions displayed similar patterns, linked to guilt, anger, and fear. However, cultural differences emerged in sexual and contamination obsessions. Turkish participants, reflecting a cultural focus on purity, reported higher disgust levels for both, along with significantly greater shame, guilt, and embarrassment in response to sexual intrusions than Belgians. The findings indicate that obsessions are tied to specific moral emotions, with their intensity varying by obsession type. Cultural differences reflect each culture's moral priorities, especially pronounced in the Turkish sample.