Harding Undergraduate Research Conference

Document Type

Research Paper

Date of presentation

4-16-2026

Department

​Behavioral Sciences

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Travis McNeal

Abstract

A confession is defined as a “detailed written or oral statement in which a person admits to having committed some transgression, often acknowledging guilt for a crime” (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). There are three areas where confession has been deemed important, even necessary, societally: “religion, psychotherapy, and criminal justice” (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). In all three contexts, confession is seen as necessary for absolution and social acceptance, making the statements of guilt feel weighted. Indeed, in the American criminal justice system, confessions often appear to have the final say in the question of a defendant’s innocence or guilt. However, not all confessors confess credibly. When a confession is untruthful, it is known as a false confession; that is, a false confession is a “detailed admission to a criminal act that the confessor did not commit” (Weinstock & Thompson, 2009). Three categories of false confessions, originally devised by Kassin and Wrightsman, have stood the test of time: voluntary,  coerced-internalized, and coerced-compliant (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). This paper explores the available psychological research surrounding these three categories of false confessions, as well as the specific lived experiences of false confessors.

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