Guilt or Shame

[Jonathan Jarvis]

Am I right to think that Guilt is a spontaneous feeling that comes from inside the person due to knowledge that you have violated on of your tenets and Shame is a feeling generated by external social forces for violating societal tenets?

Which is the stronger emotion?

 

[Eudaimonist]

Am I right to think that Guilt is a spontaneous feeling that comes from inside the person due to knowledge that you have violated on of your tenets and Shame is a feeling generated by external social forces for violating societal tenets?

Which is the stronger emotion?

Neither. Guilt is as strong as your guilt, and shame as strong as your shame.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[durangodawood]

Am I right to think that Guilt is a spontaneous feeling that comes from inside the person due to knowledge that you have violated on of your tenets and Shame is a feeling generated by external social forces for violating societal tenets?

I think BOTH can be generated by external forces.

The difference is
Shame is feeling youve let down others.
Guilt is feeling youve let down yourself.

(I think)

 

[PsychoSarah]

Am I right to think that Guilt is a spontaneous feeling that comes from inside the person due to knowledge that you have violated on of your tenets and Shame is a feeling generated by external social forces for violating societal tenets?

Which is the stronger emotion?

To me, guilt is recognizing how selfish your own actions were, and shame is the overall social pressure of realizing you weren't as good at something etc., as you thought you were. To feel shame, one must feel pride, and to feel either one must value how they appear to others.

Due in part to my social disorder, I have very reduced/underdeveloped feelings of the emotions of both shame and (to a lesser extent) pride. I can tell you right now we need those emotions to be fully functioning people.

But, as it were, I think shame is a more common emotion to feel while guilt is a stronger feeling overall.

 

[Gottservant]

Guilt is on Earth, shame is in Hell.

If you are trying to take possession of the whole Earth and you screw up, Hell will make you feel shame.

If you know that people try to take possession of the whole Earth and are happy with that, people on Earth will make you feel guilty.

The point is that there is a change in context as to what you value, which modulates the extremity of what you feel.

Shame is stronger, but for less reason; guilt is weaker, but for more reason.

No man feels guilt or shame, without having valued something he shouldn't have.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Guilt is on Earth, shame is in Hell.

If you are trying to take possession of the whole Earth and you screw up, Hell will make you feel shame.

If you know that people try to take possession of the whole Earth and are happy with that, people on Earth will make you feel guilty.

The point is that there is a change in context as to what you value, which modulates the extremity of what you feel.

Shame is stronger, but for less reason; guilt is weaker, but for more reason.

No man feels guilt or shame, without having valued something he shouldn't have.

Fail.

 

[Gottservant]

Fail.

That's constructive is it?

What didn't you like? The distinction? The spirit? The Wisdom?

Ah no, don't tell me "you just don't like it".

 

[PsychoSarah]

That's constructive is it?

What didn't you like? The distinction? The spirit? The Wisdom?

Ah no, don't tell me "you just don't like it".

It fails because living people can feel shame, and you designate the emotion to being exclusive to hell. When people on earth feel it.

 

[PsychoSarah]

And I don't see the point of writing out constructive arguments for an individual who doesn't acknowledge them half the time.

 

[brightlights]

Am I right to think that Guilt is a spontaneous feeling that comes from inside the person due to knowledge that you have violated on of your tenets and Shame is a feeling generated by external social forces for violating societal tenets?

Which is the stronger emotion?

Guilt is usually understood as feeling bad about what you've done.
Shame is feeling bad about who you are.

 

[MerlinJ]

Guilt is remorse.
Shame is embarrassment.

Guilt is probably the stronger, since you can pretty much choose to feel ashamed or not. Not always, of course.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Guilt is usually understood as feeling bad about what you've done.
Shame is feeling bad about who you are.

Pretty much covers it, although the question was which is the stronger emotion, not if they were different emotions.

 

[Belk]

Pretty much covers it, although the question was which is the stronger emotion, not if they were different emotions.

I would say shame is the "stronger" (personally I would say more persistent) since guilt can be alleviated by taking corrective action where shame can only be alleviated by coming to a different understanding.