What Causes Guilt?
Guilt occurs most often when we hurt people or commit an action that we regret, and our conscience, which is our internal thought process and moral code, realises that what we just said, did or sometimes even thought was wrong. Physical, mental and emotional pain are just a few states in which people can be hurt, and this can be done either intentionally or completely by accident, but the guilt comes all the same. However, some people will feel guilt when they shouldn’t, and they will assume the blame onto themselves. This is unhealthy, as it creates a negative mindset, and stops us from learning from actual mistakes. There are the two categories that guilt falls into – Appropriate Guilt, and Irrational Guilt. Whilst all guilt is the same in that we feel personally responsible for something, appropriate guilt and irrational guilt couldn’t be further from each other in what they represent.
APPROPRIATE GUILT – Even though guilt isn’t a pleasant feeling, appropriate guilt is good for us in a strange way. Guilt allows us to learn from our mistakes and prevent us from potentially harming ourselves or others in the future. It’s also a good indicator to tell how effective our conscience and cognitive abilities are. Put simply, appropriate guilt is healthy, and experiencing it is beneficial for us in understanding our own mental thought process and moral compass.
IRRATIONAL GUILT – On the contrary, irrational guilt is what isn’t healthy, nor is it beneficial in helping us to understand ourselves. Feeling personally responsible for events that aren’t your fault isn’t just unhealthy and unhelpful, but they can also develop into further, more serious, mental conditions including anxiety, depression, dysphoria, and OCD. Without addressing this problem these conditions can occur, and if this happens then there is the potential possibility that these could lead to strained relationships, start-stop careers, and just other general problems later in life. So, to reiterate, irrational guilt is unhealthy.