GUILT AND SHAME
Guilt and shame are distinct yet related, and often considered overlapping (Lazarus, 1991) emotions that have tremendous influence on human psyche. Phenomenologically, guilt is described as an aversive conscious emotion that involves criticism of and remorse for one's thoughts, feelings, or actions. It emerges when we have done something which we consider morally reprehensible, when we act contrary to our internalised values about right and wrong, that is, when we transgress a moral imperative. Guilt makes us want to atone. Because it is focused on the specific, we can get rid of this emotion through corrective action, directed toward self or others (Lewis, 1993).
Shame, on the other hand, arises from our ego-identity, from how we feel about ourselves, from discrepancies between who we are and what we would like to be, and not from anything wrong or inappropriate we have done. Guilt is quite pervasive and strong in cultures in which very strict moral and religious principles exist (Blum, 2008).