ÜNİVERSİTE ÖĞRENCİLERİNDE SUÇLULUK KAVRAMI ÜZERİNE METAFORİK BİR İNCELEME.

The feeling of guilt is one of the negative social emotions and it regulates interpersonal relationships. The aim of this study was to examine college students' perceptions of the concept of guilt through metaphor analysis. Two hundred seventy-eight college students participated in the study. The obtained metaphors were analyzed by descriptive and content analysis methods. The findings revealed that the metaphors were grouped under three themes and thirteen subcategories. According to results, guilt was evoked by mistakes, transgressions and negative evaluations by others. Also, the feeling of guilt was accompanied by behavior-harm-focused evaluations, self-focused evaluations, regret, a pang of conscience and restlessness, confusion, fear of punishment and being caught, and a desire to getting rid of the situation. And finally, the feeling of guilt motivated people to experience confession and reparation and, a persistent trace. Findings of the study were discussed in light of the current literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]