MORES Glossary

Guilt

/ɡɪlt/

Guilt is a self-conscious moral emotion that arises when individuals recognise they have done, failed to do, or even contemplated something that violates social or moral norms. It is tied to a sense of personal responsibility and is usually experienced in relation to harm caused to others.

While guilt frequently overlaps with shame in everyday language and public discourse, in psychology they are distinct and carry different social implications. Both guilt and shame reflect an awareness of transgression against community norms.

But guilt is typically action-oriented: it emerges from a specific behaviour that an individual perceives as morally wrong. In contrast, shame is more identity-based, involving a broader sense of personal inadequacy or unworthiness. Guilt often motivates reparative behaviour—such as apologies or attempts to make amends—whereas shame may lead to withdrawal, denial, or defensiveness.

In some cases, individuals experience excessive guilt, also called a “guilt complex”. This involves persistent feelings of having done something wrong, even in the absence of actual harm. People with excessive guilt may dwell on imagined failures, anticipate moral error in the future, and internalise blame in ways that can lead to chronic anxiety or shame. This emotional blurring between guilt and shame further complicates how these emotions are expressed and interpreted in public life.

One related concept of increasing interest in psychology and political behaviour research is guilt proneness, a personality trait that reflects how likely an individual is to anticipate guilt in response to potential moral failings.

Guilt-prone individuals do not merely feel guilty after doing something wrong; rather, they imagine in advance the emotional consequences of their actions and adjust their behaviour accordingly. This trait has significant implications for policy support and civic behaviour.

Individuals who are guilt-prone are more likely to endorse redistributive policies, such as refugee aid, environmental regulations, or social policies that reflect collective moral responsibility.

Beyond the individual level, collective guilt refers to the guilt experienced by individuals as members of a group—such as a nation, ethnic group, or religious community—when that group is perceived to have caused harm.

Unlike individual guilt, collective guilt involves shared moral responsibility, even when the individual played no direct role in the wrongdoing. It often arises in response to historical injustices (e.g., slavery, genocide), state violence, or discrimination. Collective guilt can motivate reparative action, such as apologies, restitution, or support for corrective policies.

In political rhetoric, guilt serves multiple functions: it can be acknowledged or assigned. While some leaders publicly express guilt—such as former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s apology for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules—others avoid it entirely.

In many political cultures, including Hungary, public apologies are rare and often seen as signs of weakness. Instead, politicians in these cultures may engage in guilting, the act of accusing opponents of moral failure, demanding reparations, or scapegoating to shift blame. These tactics aim to undermine adversaries while elevating the speaker’s moral authority.