What is GUILT in psychology

  • Jul 26, 2021
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What is guilt in psychology

The word culpa, of Latin origin, is almost certainly one of the most commonly used terms habitually in informal conversations, especially in the most confidential, friendly or relatives. But whatever the idea behind the use of these words, the common "grammar of guilt" seems refer in any case to the individual need (or moral duty) to accuse someone (including ourselves) Of something. All possible interpretations of guilt are in any case attributable to two hermeneutical macrocategories: error or sin. In this Psychology-Online article we will see what is guilt in psychology, what symptoms is guilty and how guilt is worked in psychology.

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Index

  1. What is guilt in psychology?
  2. Symptoms of guilt
  3. Guilt in psychoanalysis
  4. Types of blame
  5. Why does the feeling of guilt appear?
  6. How to overcome the feeling of guilt?

What is guilt in psychology?

Guilt is a secondary emotion, that is, a complex, self-reflective and specific emotion of the human species. It is an emotional reaction that alerts us that "something is wrong" in our behavior. It's about the

emotional reaction to the conviction or knowledge (thought) of being responsible for something (a decision, a behavior, an omission, an injury and so on), and therefore having committed a fault.

Symptoms of guilt.

For some, the feeling of guilt is a vague but continuous sensation: they feel inadequateThey are missing, although they do not know exactly what; intimidated, insecure, scared and they end up well only between the walls of the house or with very few and select people. For others, on the other hand, guilt is manifested in more explicit ways, and they are the ones who they exaggerate, become inflamed and feel attacked for nothing, roaring like beasts and then, a moment later, repent, feel "disgusting," wonder what the others, try to take refuge or worse still provoke devious attempts to "hold the point" that they themselves know is wrong.

Guilt in psychoanalysis.

The feeling of guilt presents some symptoms, according to psychoanalysis. In this area, we do not speak of guilt as a feeling of guilt, that is, of the emotion that follows the violation of a precept. The feeling of guilt can be conscious or unconscious, and in both cases it derives, according to Freud, from conflict between superego and infantile sexual and aggressive desires, a conflict that is an internalized representation and a perpetuation of the conflicts between the child and her parents. If, as is also supposed, the superego derives its energy from the aggressiveness of the child itself, the feeling of guilt results directly influenced by the degree to which the individual manifests his aggressive feelings, turning them against himself as moral condemnation. The unconscious feeling of guilt is at the base of the masochistic attitudes, from the propensity to accidents, to criminal behaviors, where it seems that the subject acts to procure suffering or punishments “as if - affirms Freud - it had felt a relief to be able to link that unconscious feeling of guilt with something real and current".

Types of blame.

Let's look at 4 types of guilt feelings:

  • Reflective guilt. It is linked to the cognitive evaluation that the ego ideal and the values ​​to which the person has adhered and which they have internalized have not been lived up to. In reflective guilt there is not only concern for the consequences of one's actions, nor only empathy towards the other, for the damage they have caused. It is a type of guilt that presupposes cognitive and introspective capacities on the part of the individual: a emotion that we could say constructive and not destructive, that contemplates an orientation towards the rest.
  • Irrational guilt. It can be of the conscious or unconscious type. In the first case, the person is able to focus on one or more actions that he has carried out and imagine having disappointed the other or having damaged, in some way, the relationship with him. In case of being unconscious, the person could feel guilty and think that he is unworthy, without knowing exactly the reasons.
  • Pathological guilt. It is linked to an irrational guilt that carries with it an anguish that grips the subject. It is an immediate, destructive, neurotic guilt. Individual self-criticism is triggered in the person by the conviction of not having lived up to the expectations that others had of her and not for having failed to adhere to the ideals to which she adhered personally. The feeling of irrational guilt has nothing to do with the moral growth of the individual and does not impel him to mature towards the ego ideal; Furthermore, in these circumstances we can often observe the compression of generalized anxiety, feeling of helplessness or even despair.
  • Healthy "guilt" feeling. It is a useful moral emotion also for the social development of the individual, who thus realizes his own failures and his own responsibilities. The feeling of "pure" guilt (that is, not "mixed" with shame or other lived experiences) leads to many constructive behaviors of redemption, proactively driving the person to mature towards the ego ideal. This emotion would help to have more moral future behaviors, protect against possible transgressions, repair (if a mistake has been made) and assume your responsibilities.

Why does the feeling of guilt appear?

Can you feel guilty for no reason? Or is it rather that sometimes it is difficult for us to identify the causes? The state of guilt and the emotion of feeling responsible for something are two very different realities. We can speak of objective guilt when, by breaking a rule of conduct, the person is in a state of guilt. For example, an employee who steals an object from his office: breaking a norm of conduct, which the individual may or may not know, puts him in an "objective" situation of guilt. However, the person who commits the theft may not feel any unpleasant feelings, that is, not feel "guilt", despite having violated a rule of conduct. To commit a fault, and to be a thief, might not disturb the individual's emotional balance in the least: he could then commit a fault without tasting his relative emotion.

However, we can observe two paradoxical situations:

  1. The person can experience the thrill of guilt in your absence (for example, mistakenly thinking that he has broken some rule or law, or that he has caused harm, etc.);
  2. The person may not feel guilty despite have an objective fault.

Like all feelings, it originates in function of the interpretation of reality based on beliefs about oneself and about the world.

How to overcome the feeling of guilt?

One of the factors that most affects the self-esteem it's the fault. Once we have seen the origin and symptoms of this feeling, let's see how to work guilt in psychology. Some helpful suggestions for dealing with and coping with guilt include:

  • Forgiveness. In this article we talk in depth about forgive yourself.
  • Self pity. Tell ourselves that we did the best we could. In this article we explain what is self-compassion in psychology.
  • Understanding the context. Consider that, at the time of our incorrect behavior, we did not know what we understand later.
  • Acceptance. Accept that we are human.
  • Importance of language. Call guilt "responsibility."
  • Importance of the present. Be aware that the past is immutable.
  • Differentiation of what depends on you and what does not. We are only responsible for ourselves, not for the actions or emotions of others.
  • Review of self-demands. Wondering if our standards of behavior are adequate or too high.
  • Review of beliefs and expectations. Reconsider our system of values, rules and expectations;
  • Other people's opinion. Learn to tolerate disappointment and disapproval from others;
  • Intrinsic dignity. Prevent all guilt by building the feeling "of being worthy."

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is guilt in psychology, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.

Bibliography

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  • Cantelmi, T., Costantini, B. (2016). Amare non è released a feeling. Psicologia delle emozioni e dei behaviori morali. Milan: Franco Angeli.
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  • Saccà, F. (2021). Eat riconoscere and overcome the sense of lick indotto gives a pathological narcissist. Tricase: Youcanprint.
  • RIZA (2016). Così i sensi di colpa scompaiono. Recovered from: https://www.riza.it/psicologia/tu/5253/cosi-i-sensi-di-colpa-scompaiono.html
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