Mental health overview: The things you didn’t know about guilt

Feeling guilty can be a natural response to believing one is responsible for a harmful event or outcome. Although guilt can be healthy and promote positive change in some instances, unaddressed or misplaced guilt can lead to negative mental health consequences. To understand guilt, it may be valuable to look at its definition, how you can identify it, and how it may be treated, as well as other vital facts to understand how guilt can impact daily life. 

What is guilt?

Guilt is a multifaceted emotion often associated with regret, sadness, remorse, fear, and shame. According to psychological research, guilt is a self-conscious feeling that causes distress when a person realizes or thinks they are responsible for causing a harmful situation or acting against their personal values or belief structure. The types of guilt may include the following: 

• Natural guilt (deontological): This type of guilt occurs when you understand or believe you’ve acted wrongly or against your morals.  
• Altruistic guilt: Altruistic guilt can occur when you realize you’ve hurt someone. 
• Anticipatory guilt: This type of guilt occurs when you feel guilty for an action you haven’t yet taken. 
• Existential guilt: Existential guilt can occur when you think you haven’t lived up to expectations, found a purpose, or accomplished enough.
• Collective guilt: This type of guilt is related to imbalanced situations, such as racial inequalities.
• Misplaced guilt (non-related): Misplaced guilt happens when you feel guilty for a situation you aren’t responsible for. 
• Survivor guilt: This type of guilt occurs when one person survives a traumatic event, and another does not. It may also happen when one person believes they caused significant harm to another person, even if that person lived. 

Does everyone experience guilt?

While guilt is a standard emotion often considered part of the human experience, not everyone may feel it. Some people living with personality disorders have reported difficulty or inability to experience and understand feelings like shame, remorse, or guilt. Psychological research shows that those with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and people with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are less likely to feel guilt.  

How to recognize guilt

Guilt is often transient, so you may experience it briefly before it fades as you continue to grow. However, you may have a guilt complex when it persists, becomes intense, or no longer inspires positive change. Signs and symptoms of unresolved, persistent guilt could include the following: 

• Low self-esteem and a lack of confidence
• The conviction that you can't recover from betraying your values
• Believing you are worthless or hopeless
• Difficulty making decisions because you’re overwhelmed
• Intense concern over how others see you or perceive your morality
• Difficulty setting and maintaining boundaries
• Excessive sensitivity to criticism
• Mental health conditions like anxiety or depression
• Physical health symptoms like headache, stomachache, unidentified muscle pain, tension, and numerous other stress-related symptoms
• Insomnia or other challenges with sleeping
• Changes to eating patterns
• Social isolation

Facts you might not have known about guilt 

You may have heard of guilt, felt guilty yourself, and seen how it can affect others. However, with ongoing psychological research consistently working to expand society’s understanding of the human experience, it may be helpful to look at facts about guilt you may not have been aware of, including but not limited to the following. 

Guilt serves a purpose and can be positive

Guilt can be a positive force when you have healthy ways to process your feelings and understand your behavior. Feeling guilty can be an unpleasant experience, but it may motivate people to reshape their behaviors to avoid similar feelings in the future. Guilt can also improve your relationships, such as helping you remember to call your mother on Mother's Day or wish your best friend luck before an important interview. 

Feeling guilty can weigh you down

Recent studies revealed that some people experience guilt as a sensation of body weight. This phenomenon could explain the descriptions reported by some who perceive themselves as heavier when bearing guilty emotions. One study found that “Participants who recalled an unethical act reported significantly more weight than those who recalled an ethical or unethical memory of a distant other person.” 

People spend hours feeling guilty every week 

If all the moments you devote to guilt were added up, it may equal multiple hours per week. The data in the above study indicates Americans feel guilty about taking time for self-care, eating certain foods, taking time off from work, losing time with their kids, and other subjects.  

Those prone to guilt may feel responsible for problems

Psychologists have connected traumatic childhood experiences, such as abuse or neglect, and the development of insecure attachment styles. Your attachment style may explain how you form and maintain relationships throughout your life. 

In some cases, an insecure attachment may make you feel guilty when you’ve done nothing wrong. Individuals who experience guilt regularly may take responsibility for issues that aren’t their fault. Those who have experienced abuse and have been manipulated or gaslit into thinking they made a mistake when they didn’t may also be prone to guilt. 

If you are facing or witnessing abuse of any kind, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 for support. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788. You can also use the online chat. 

Unresolved guilt can make it difficult to concentrate

Living with unresolved guilt can affect your mood, behavior, and cognitive function. Some people report difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making important decisions when feeling guilty. You may notice difficulty functioning at work, school, relationships, or daily life while carrying unmanaged guilt. 

“Guilt-tripping” can be an unhealthy behavior that leads to resentment 

A guilt trip is a tactic some people use to make someone feel guilty for something they may not be responsible for, though it can also be self-inflicted. While a guilt trip can be a method of manipulation or coercion, it can make others resentful of your behavior. 

Guilty feelings may cover up or overwhelm other emotions 

A guilty conscience or feelings of guilt can be powerful, potentially overshadowing your other feelings. Like the proverbial personal raincloud following you, guilt can seep into many aspects of your thoughts, actions, and overall outlook on life. 

A guilty conscience can lead to avoidance 

If you’ve hurt someone, you may alter your behavior to avoid encountering them because you feel guilty about what you did. For some people, it may seem easier to avoid someone altogether than to change habits and make improvements toward personal growth. 

Guilt can lead to difficulty finding enjoyment 

When weighed down by guilt, you may find it challenging to enjoy minor and significant moments in life. Those who regularly feel guilty may skip an event they know they’d enjoy or struggle to find pleasure in activities they used to appreciate.    

You may punish yourself in reaction to guilt

When you feel guilty, you may actively try to punish yourself. While this tactic may seem like an effective way to overcome your feelings, it may have the opposite effect because you aren’t addressing the underlying behaviors, thoughts, and feelings contributing to it. 

What types of therapy are available to treat guilt?

Although guilt can inspire positive change, it can be harmful if left unaddressed or experienced in significant quantities. The following therapies may be effective in treating guilty feelings:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Trauma-focused CBT
• Trauma-informed guilt reduction therapy 
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
• Experiential therapy
• Grief counseling

Therapy can help individuals identify challenging thoughts, feelings, and behaviors stemming from unaddressed guilt. With the support of a therapist, these individuals can pinpoint patterns in their thinking, emotions, or actions that are counterproductive to their goals and reshape them into healthier, more positive practices that support emotional health. 

A therapist can also help clients explore the potential underlying causes of their guilty feelings and lead them toward solutions. Over time, individuals can learn how to forgive themselves, practice self-compassion, and move forward without bearing the weight of their guilt. 

Alternative support options 

Guilt can be overwhelming, potentially influencing how you think, act, and feel. If your symptoms extend for two or more weeks, cause substantial emotional distress, or make it difficult to function, consider working with a licensed therapist. If you struggle to find a therapist in your area, you might also try online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp. 

Guilt can lead to unintended mental health concerns such as depression. Since depression can make it difficult to find the motivation to complete daily responsibilities, it may be challenging to make it to in-person therapy appointments. With online therapy, you can meet with a therapist from your home. In addition, you can access extra resources like journaling, group therapy, and worksheets. 

Online therapy has been shown to be effective in addressing various mental health concerns. Since guilt can stem from and lead to various mental health disorders, it can be vital to address them as they arise. One study found that internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy was effective in treating different mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, phobias, and others. 

Takeaway 

Guilt is an often felt—and misunderstood—emotion that can impact mood and behavior, frequently overwhelming other feelings. While guilt can serve the function of encouraging constructive change, it can also be detrimental when severe. Recognizing when guilty feelings are healthy or unhealthy and understanding how to manage these emotions can make a difference in your mental well-being. 

Therapy can be a powerful tool for addressing unresolved guilt and learning effective ways of managing guilt. Consider contacting a mental health professional online or in your area to get started.