The word guilt, of Latin origin, is almost certainly one of the commonly used terms that is most commonly used in informal conversations, especially in the most confidential, friendly or family contexts. But whatever the idea underlying the use of these words, the common “grammar of blame” seems to 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 are going to see what is guilt in psychologywhat symptoms are at fault and how the feeling of guilt is worked on in psychology.
What is the feeling of guilt in psychology?
Guilt is a secondary emotion, that is, a complex, self-reflective emotion specific to 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, a harm 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 inappropriatethey are missing, although they don’t know exactly what; intimidated, insecure, scared and they end up alone within the walls of the house or with very few and select people. For others, however, guilt manifests itself 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, regretting it, feeling “disgusting”, wondering what others will think, trying to take refuge or worse still provoke torturous attempts to “maintain the point” that they themselves know is wrong.
Guilt in psychoanalysis
The feeling of guilt presents some symptoms, according to psychoanalysis. In this area, guilt is not spoken of as a feeling of guilt, that is, 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 the conflict between the superego and infantile sexual and aggressive desires, conflict that is an internalized representation and perpetuation of conflicts between the child and his parents. If, as is further assumed, the superego derives its energy from the child’s aggressiveness itself, the feeling of guilt is directly influenced by the degree to which the individual manifests his aggressive feelings, turning them against himself as a moral condemnation. The feeling of unconscious guilt is at the base of the masochistic attitudesfrom the propensity to accidents, to criminal behavior, where it seems that the subject acts to bring about suffering or punishment “as if – Freud states – he had felt a relief to be able to link that unconscious feeling of guilt with something real and current.”
Types of guilt
Let’s look at 4 types of guilty feelings:
- Reflective feeling of guilt. It is linked to the cognitive evaluation that one has not lived up to the ego ideal and the values to which the person has adhered and internalized. In reflective guilt there is not only concern for the consequences of one’s own actions, nor only empathy towards the other, for the damage that has been caused. It is a type of guilt that presupposes cognitive and introspective capacities on the part of the individual: an emotion that we could say is constructive and not destructive, which includes an orientation towards others.
- Feeling of irrational guilt. It can be conscious or unconscious. In the first case, the person is able to focus on one or more actions they have carried out and imagine having disappointed the other or having damaged, in some way, the relationship with them. If it is 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 a neurotic, immediate and destructive feeling of guilt. Individual self-criticism is triggered in the person by the conviction of not having lived up to the expectations that others had of him or her and not by having failed to live up to the ideals to which he personally adhered. The feeling of irrational guilt has nothing to do with the moral growth of the individual and does not drive him to mature towards the ego ideal; Furthermore, in these circumstances we can often observe the compression of generalized anxiety, a feeling of helplessness or even despair.
- Healthy feeling of “guilt”. It is a moral emotion that is also useful for the social development of the individual, who thus becomes aware of his own failures and his own responsibilities. The feeling of “pure” guilt (i.e., not “mixed” with shame or other experiences) leads to many constructive redemptive behaviors, proactively driving the person to mature toward the ego ideal. This emotion would help to have more moral future behaviors, protect oneself from possible transgressions, repair (if a mistake has been made) and assume your responsibilities.
Why does the feeling of guilt appear?
Can you have a feeling of guilt without 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 steals an object from his office: breaking a rule 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. Committing a fault, and being a thief, might not alter the individual’s emotional balance in the slightest: he could then commit a fault without proving his relative emotion.
However, we can observe two paradoxical situations:
- The person can experience the emotion of guilt in its absence (for example, mistakenly thinking that you have broken some rule or law, or that you have caused harm, etc.);
- The person may not feel guilt despite have objective guilt.
Like all feelings, it originates based on 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 affects us the most is guilt. Once we have seen the origin and symptoms of this feeling, let’s see how to work with guilt in psychology. Some helpful suggestions for addressing and coping with guilt are:
- Sorry. In this article we talk in depth about.
- Self-pity. Telling ourselves that we did the best we could. In this article we explain.
- 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. Asking whether our standards of behavior are adequate or too high.
- Review of beliefs and expectations. Reconsider our system of values, rules and expectations;
- Others’ 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, at 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.
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