When guilt induces charity: the emotional side of philanthropy

Abstract

espite the economic and social changes occurred in Brazil in the last decade, which created a favorable scenario for the prosperity of charitable giving, Brazilian philanthropic landscape still has to deal with some barriers, such as the lack of trust in nonprofit institutions, the absence of incentives for donation, and the change in family and personal values. This article theoretically discusses the phenomenon of philanthropy in Brazil under the guilt hypothesis and comes up with propositions that may inspire future research. We propose that activating a negative emotion, such as guilt, increases individuals’ donation intentions and the intended amount of donation to charitable organizations even more than positive emotions, such as empathy. We also propose that the activation of the emotion of guilt has a stronger effect on individuals that are high (versus low) in consumer materialism value. Finally, we discuss possible theoretical, managerial and public policy implications.