Difference Between Guilt And Shame

According to Harris Perry, in Sister Citizen, there are three essential elements in the emotion of shame (104). The first element of shame is social; the fear of embarrassment or humiliation around others in our community. For Black women the social element of shame may cause all-encompassing feelings of guilt, especially when the possibility of public exposure by others to those who are family or close personally.

How do you know when you start to feel shame? For example, what happens in your body and your mind?

Have you ever felt so ashamed that you have become ashamed of who you are becoming? Shame is always reminding people it is a soul eating disease. For instance, in the book The Kite Runner Baba and Amir are so caught up in their shame they can hardly stand each other. In the beginning of the novel Baba pays no attention to Amir and by the end of the novel Amir realizes why his father paid no attention to him. We can become a changed person by facing our shame and allowing it to remain in the past while we move on to our future.

Esperanza’s situation is a reminder that shame can have a positive effect on people’s lives by being a source of motivation and inspiration.

Research was conducted by Wiklander, Samuelsson, Jokinen, Nilsonne, Wilczek, Rylander, and Asberg (2012) on the relationship between shame-proneness and suicide attempt. The introduction mentions that the researchers wanted to explore whether or not shame proneness was a stable tendency for attempted suicide. According to Wiklander, et al. (2012), when individuals encounter situations of failure, they typically experience shame. The researchers define shame as "an aversive affective state paired with a negative evaluation of the entire self" (Lewis, 1971; Tangney, Stuewig, & Mashek, 2007; Lindsay-Hatz, 1984 as cited by Wiklander, et al., 2012).

The final literary element that is principle in the writing of “Shame” was the use of language. The passage begins with him claiming that “[he] never learned hate at home, or shame.

Unacknowledged Shame Theory is seen in a perspective that shame can cause a destructive emotion and can promote crime instead of preventing it if it is not managed positively. By using apology in return for forgiveness symbolises that reparation can commence (Braithwaite, 2004).

Dr. Sandra D. Wilson (2001) asks, “Have you ever felt as if you were the only caterpillar in a butterfly world? Do you often feel as if you have to do twice as much to be half as good as other” (p. 16)? If you answered, yes, then that is what Wilson (2001) calls binding shame. “Shame is the soul-deep belief that something is horribly wrong with me that is not wrong with anyone else in the entire world. If I am bound by shame, I feel hopelessly, distinguishingly different and worthless (p. 16).

Discussion:     Guilt is feelings of culpability, especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy. There are negative physiological effects caused by guilt. Guilt can make someone over responsible. They will think that life has to be perfect, and will do everything to try to please everyone. It may make someone over conscientious so that they may neglect their needs to avoid

Adam and Eve experienced such within their own allusion. It was only when Adam and Eve learned knowledge that they became aware of their shame. The same situation is true with children; it is only through maturation that they become aware of normalcy. Once knowledge is secured, there is no going back, it must be erased from one’s

Author James Gilligan wrote “Shame” to show the relation of shame and violence. His motive is to achieve a better understanding of why people are violent. He creates an authoritative mood

Guilt causes more constructive responses, usually trying to mend the damage. Shame is attacking or lashing out at other people,

“Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change”(Brené Brown). In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a woman is publicly shamed for having a child with a man who is not her husband. Another example of public shame can be seen in modern day articles “Florida ‘Scarlet Letter’ Law is Repealed by Gov. Bush,” by Dana Canedy, and “Houston Couple Gets ‘The Scarlet Letter’ Treatment.” Both talk of public shame that people have had to endure in the present day. Public shaming is not an effective punishment because it is a cruel and unusual punishment, it does not deter crime, and it can emotionally traumatize the one being shamed.

Profoundly interpersonal, the experience of shame is also therefore social and cultural. Shame is the result of feeling deficient, whether in relation to a parent, an admired friend, or a more powerful social group (39).

In every country in the world there are certain levels of shaming that every society has, where some countries have extreme shame than others. Shaming is form of criticism and judgement when an individual violates social or moral norms. Shaming fundamentally reacts our psychological need for acceptance and approval from either someone or the public. It is true that for centuries, shame has been given a negative name, but there is reason why shame has existed for a long time and why it will continue to exist in the future. Shaming should be part of society since it brings order and control, it causes people to reflect their wrong doing, and it creates a positive change that affects everyone. Shaming should be part of the society since shaming, most of the time, brings positive results.