Abstract
Guilty pleasures are an underexplored concept within psychology, with research typically exploring singular activities instead of the phenomenon itself. The current study expands upon past research through defining guilty pleasures as active dissonance, distinct from regret and resolution, as well as taking a broader scope to explore guilty pleasure across three distinct activities: gambling, shoplifting and consuming pornography. Thematic analysis of online comments explores commenters constructions of activities as guilty pleasures with three themes identified. (a) Consequences, where commenters perceived activities as having adverse outcomes to themselves and/or others, (b) Conflict with values, where commenters assessed the activity as hypocritical to their own actions and values and/or deviant from societal norms or values instilled in them by others, and (c) Justification, which preserves the activity through initial gratification and commenters subsequently rationalising and/or mitigating the impact of their behaviour. Concluding remarks advocate for further research into the concept of guilty pleasures.
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The researcher would like to thank Dr Phil Hutchinson for their guidance as dissertation supervisor throughout the research process.
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Sealey, J. What consistent themes inform individual’s constructions of activities as guilty pleasures? A thematic analysis of gambling, shoplifting and consuming pornography. Curr Psychol 43, 5975–5986 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04794-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04794-9