FeelingGuide

Guilty vs Shame

Guilty

negative emotion

Guilty is an emotional response characterized by feelings of remorse, regret, or responsibility for a perceived offense, wrongdoing, or failure to meet personal or societal standards.

Shame

negative emotion

Shame is a complex emotional response that arises when an individual perceives that they have failed to meet personal or societal standards, leading to feelings of worthlessness, embarrassment, and a desire to hide or escape from the situation.

Key Differences

AspectGuiltyShame
Sentimentnegativenegative
Typeemotionemotion
NatureGuilty can be both constructive and destructive. Constructively, it can motivate individuals to take responsibility and ...Shame tends to be more destructive than constructive. While it can promote awareness of social norms and encourage accou...

Guilty's Perspective

Guilty is often confused with shame, but while both involve negative feelings about oneself, guilt is typically linked to specific actions and the desire to make amends, whereas shame is a more pervasive feeling about one's entire self-worth or identity.

Shame's Perspective

Shame is often confused with guilt, but they are distinct emotions. While guilt relates to feeling bad about specific actions, shame is more about feeling bad about oneself as a whole. Guilt can motivate corrective action, whereas shame may lead to avoidance and withdrawal.

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