Guilt

Guilt is a concept used in various ways in various contexts. In psychology and ordinary language, guilt is simply a negative affective state in which one feels regret at having done something one believes one should not have done. In law, sometimes in individual and religious [moral codes]?, and rarely in systems of ethics (either as a philosophical discipline or in professional codes thereof), guilt is a concept similar to the economic concept of debt?. Actions of low or negative legal value that cause damage on the object, put an equal amount of guilt on the agent. Guilt can sometimes be remedied by punishment? (a common legal action), by forgiveness?, or by sincere remorse? (as with confession? in Catholicism), but not, in law, by the agent's self-punishment. The Latin word for guilt is culpa, a word sometimes seen in law literature.

Guilt and its causes, merits, and demerits is a common theme in psychology and psychiatry. It is often associated with depression.

Some thinkers have theorized that guilt is used as a tool of social control. Since guilty people feel they are undeserving, they are less likely to assert their rights and prerogatives. Thus, those in power seek to cultivate a sense of guilt among the populace, in order to make them more tractable. This was a theme in Eric Hoffer's [True Believer]?. Ayn Rand claimed that Christian sexual morality served a similar purpose.

Guilt was a theme in John Steinbeck's [East of Eden]? and many other works of literature.

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• Quotes on guilt are available [here].