The relationship between guilt and quality of drug experiences

Consistent with predictions from Mosher's (1966) guilt construct, the present study found that high guilt males, compared with low guilt Ss, reported significantly less use of marijuana, depressant, stimulant and hallucinogenic drugs. Among all Ss who reported at least one use within each drug category, high guilt Ss rated their experiences as less pleasant and reported a higher frequency of "bad trips" than did low guilt individuals. Overall, these results support Mosher's contention that high vs. low guilt Ss are less likely to engage in culturally prohibited activities such as drug use and are more likely to have unpleasant experiences resulting from guilt when such activities are pursued.