Why Guilt is Important?

Asked by Anonymous
Answered
04/22/2021

What Guilt Tells Us

Guilt can let us know that we are disappointed with something we said or did (or did not say or do something we feel we should have said or done). Recognizing that we feel guilt communicates that we know we can make decisions that can produce more positive results. Without guilt, we may have limited personal responsibility, finding excuses when we do not meet our potential or blaming others for consequences brought upon by ourselves. Having guilt means that we care about how we affect others.

Examples

One example of guilt is causing sadness or suffering to another person. For example, if we say something to a close friend and hurt this person’s feelings, our guilt can allow us to show remorse. Our guilt can also help us be more careful next time and mindful that our behavior can affect this person. We may also feel guilt when we inconvenience others by being late to an appointment, not holding a door open for someone, or make a driving error that causes someone to have to swerve out of the way or get stuck behind a red light. Guilt can be all-encompassing, causing significant impairment in a person’s functioning, or it can be very brief and minor.

We may also have guilt associated with letting ourselves down. Perhaps we did not perform to our potential on a test. In this instance, it may be tempting to blame the professor, thinking that the test was too difficult, to ignore the low grade, saying that the test was not all that important anyway. We could also blame outside sources, such as thinking that your grade would have been higher if someone hadn’t said something that caused you to be upset that day. However, by recognizing that your lack of preparedness for the test was the primary reason for the poor test performance, the guilt you experience can lead you to recognize that you do have control over your success in the class, which in turn can result in studying more for the next test.

In conclusion, guilt is often not something to try to push away, although it can become too prolonged or too intense. Paying attention to our guilt can inspire self-improvement.

(MRC, LPCC-S, LICDC)