Guilt

What is the Difference between Guilt and Shame?

People often use the terms guilt and shame interchangeably, as moral emotions that inhibit socially undesirable behavior or as problematic emotions that play a key role in a range of psychological symptoms. But much recent research indicates that these are distinct affective experiences. Both guilt and shame are emotions of self-blame that can arise in response to a broad range of failures, transgressions, and social blunders. The crux of the difference between these two emotions centers on the focus of one's negative evaluation. When people feel guilt, they feel badly about a specific behavior—about something they've done. When people feel shame, they feel badly about themselves. This differential emphasis on self (“I did that horrible thing”) versus behavior (“I did that horrible thing”) makes a big difference in the experience of the emotion and in the emotion's implications for psychological adjustment and interpersonal behavior. Whereas feelings of shame (about the self) involve a sense of shrinking, a sense of worthlessness, and a desire to escape the shame-inducing situation, feelings of guilt (about a specific behavior) involve a sense of tension, remorse, and regret over the bad thing done. People in the midst of a guilt experience often report a nagging focus or preoccupation with the transgression, thinking of it over and over, wishing they had behaved differently. Rather than motivating a desire to hide, guilt typically motivates reparative behavior: confessing, apologizing, or somehow undoing the harm that was done. Thus, feelings of guilt are more apt to keep people constructively involved in the guilt-inducing situation.

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