Understanding Guilt: The Useless Emotion?
Guilt is the feeling of burden and regret that comes from knowing you’ve failed or done wrong.
Susan David • Emotional Agility
most people don’t totally understand the meaning of guilt, an assertion that changed my view on the topic entirely. Dr. Becky posited that true guilt arises when we act out of alignment with our own values, but we often use the word guilt to describe something very different: the emotional discomfort we feel when our values-aligned decision trigger... See more
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A distinction that can be helpful here is between shame and guilt – people often get these two confused. When we feel shame, our attention is on ourselves and how others might see us – i.e. think badly of us. In shame, we feel exposed and think that there’s something wrong or flawed about us. We feel anxious, depressed and our hearts sink. We put o
... See morePaul Gilbert • The Compassionate Mind (Compassion Focused Therapy)
“What are you assuming,” I asked her, “that is making you feel guilty all of the time?”
Nancy Kline • More Time to Think: The power of independent thinking
Our mind would like to make us think that guilt is laudatory, and the guilt-mongers of the world love to make an idol of it. Which is more important: to feel guilty or to change for the better? If somebody owes us money, would we rather they feel guilty about it or pay us the money? If we intend to feel guilty, we should at least consciously choose
... See moreDavid R. Hawkins • Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender
go of the small self, you make a huge deal about it. Guilt arises from a powerful and disturbing feeling that you should be a better person. You want to be “good” all the time, but it’s impossible because being that good takes a lot of mind training, a lot of self-reflection and working with your habitual tendencies.