Guilt

Notes

Most often we feel guilt or shame when we are blamed (either by others or by ourselves) for something bad that we had done, when we could have done differently, indicating our sense of Agency.

We should distinguish between guilt that arises from real damage that we has caused in the world, to feeling guilty over things that are either imaginary or not in our control. This second type stems from our Subjective Reality, we fail to see reality as it is, so we add to it layers of Judgment and interpretation that might even not be positive.

We are very bad at being objective, which causes the sense of guilt to exist without real justification. It can result from states of Ambiguity, for example, when have we done enough? what is our standard of measuring whether we were successful or whether we failed others?

It can also result from unfair comparisons. For example if in the past you had time to do x, and no you don't, it would be unfair for you to expect yourself to reach the same standard. You always have to set your Expectations to your reality.

Visual

Overview

🔼Topic:: Emotions (MOC) ◀Origin:: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos 🔗Link:: Source