= Guilt
{disambiguate=emotion}
{wiki}
= Guilt
{synonym}
<Guilt> is an <emotion> involving remorse, self-reproach or a sense of responsibility for a perceived wrong or adverse outcome. The perceived responsibility can be accurate or mistaken; experiencing <guilt> is therefore different from establishing that a person actually caused a harmful event.<Guilt in MedGen by National Center for Biotechnology Information>[Concept C1822591, Definition: remorse, self-reproach and perceived culpability for real or perceived unfavorable outcomes]{ref}
For example, someone who damages another person's work might regret that action and want to repair the harm. Psychological descriptions commonly distinguish this action-focused appraisal from the broader negative self-appraisal associated with <shame>, although the experiences can overlap. A study can separately measure reported <guilt>, responsibility judgments and reparative <behavior>: one outcome should not be silently substituted for another.
The distinction matters when interpreting an <experiment>. A change in what participants say they feel does not automatically establish a change in what they do, and an observed apology does not uniquely identify the <emotion> that motivated it.
Back to article page
