Guilt and Shame

Are there memories suddenly faced repeated when the school first? When you're really not ready but it happened to my friend and affordable thin-brained side by "a glance of your eyes", well ... deh congratulations! The incident may have been experienced by hundreds of students in this hemisphere, including Indonesia and perhaps all of us who are reading this paper. What happens after that, whether in secret shame entrenched in the recesses of the heart, or guilt? Or, relax aja, kok not very often.

In a criminal news, a mother reported her own child's head hitting the heart itself which was two years old and slam it to death. Initially he refused to acknowledge his actions, but ultimately he could not dodge and acknowledge all the actions, the reason he was upset to see the kids spilling food on a plate and whether such loss of sense to do that. On the television, the mother did not cry or speak faltered when interviewed, his expression as if he were telling something very normal, although he admitted regretfully. Act is clearly already known to many parties especially immediate environment, if only the expression / appearance or did he not feel guilty, embarrassed by the pretext of "like trance." What is clear, at least any mothers could not afford to tell you flatly or even fainted to see her child die, what happens with the mother's emotions?


Emotion Theory

In general, emotions are viewed as social adjustment, associated with individuals, and therefore have expressive traits (Plutchik, 1980). Tomkins (1987) identifies nine basic affective or congenital, that is of interest or excitement, or joy Enjoyment, surprise or startle as a positive affection. While the negative form of affection, distress or anguish, fear or terror, shame or humiliation, contempt or disgust, and anger or Rage. In view of Tomkins, guilt (guilt) is included in shame (shame). Shame, though, including congenital, but not a primary emotion, but an emotion that arises after the affection of interest or joy appears, this feeling occurs because of the incomplete fulfillment of the affection his predecessor.

Meanwhile, in the concept of Izard (1977), emotions occupy a larger space in the context of personality (personality). Emotion is seen as one of six (6) subsystem that is homeostatic, drive, emotion, perceptual, cognitive and motor, which interact to form one's personality. During its development, Izard stated that emotions occur as part of the maturing process, and the appearance of each person depending on individual learning experiences in the process of socialization.

On the other emotion theory, it emphasizes the social aspect of guilt, like Rivera (1984) which states that emotions evolved as a result of adaptation functions in human relations. In his view, all the emotions associated with the adjustment of this relationship, between self and others, where every emotion is useful to maximize the value of those relationships.


Guilt and Shame


Guilt is understood as an awareness of cognitive and negative feelings related to a moral standard. According to Ausubel (1955), guilt is one of the most important mechanism for individuals to socialize in culture. While Buss (1980) explains the difference between guilt and shame lies in terms of self-awareness (self-consciousness) and his own public (private or private). According to him, guilt is personal, the real test of guilt, no one can know for sure. On the other hand, guilt is a self-conscious public. Buss defines shyness as a social emotion continued from shyness, and anxiety embarressment audience.

Concept Mosher (1961,1966,1968) which, based on social learning theory (social learning theory), defines guilt as a general expectation in the media self-punishment for violation (or anticipatory breach) is internalized from the moral standards of behavior.


Empirical Research

Guilt has been tested as a complex construction associated with the affective, cognitive, personality, genetic, cultural, and dynamic aspects. There is evidence to indicate that guilt is a universal experience and innate, although specific standards that triggered it will vary not only between cultures but also between individuals.

Guilt is more closely related to the distress which was followed by fear and little to do with feeling happy (joy) and surprise (surprise) (Izard, 1977). A special test of the prediction Buss showed that guilt should be more strongly linked with personal self-awareness rather than to the public, this is apparently not getting a strong evidence (Jones & Kugler, 1993)


Interpersonal Relations


As has been stated in the beginning, it is assumed that guilt develops in the context of interpersonal and is important in interpersonal relationships. In one study involving inpatient and outpatient psychiatry (Carver, 1990), characters on opposite was found guilty in connection with self-reported interpersonal and relational variables such as intimacy, trust, perspective, satisfaction with the family, and on the size and suportivitas social network, also directly related to loneliness (Loneliness), treason partner relationships, the dimensions of personality disorder is also associated with relational problems (eg, schizoid, or personality passive-Aggression). In research that uses GI (Guilt Inventory; instrument of self-report), in general the results obtained indicate that the guilt associated with interpersonal problems.


Guilt & Shame as a key societal


A number of conclusions can be drawn from the shelf above, such that guilt can be ascertained in relation to social status of one's relationship. Second, guilt is defined as a contribution to the moral standards which seem useful to prevent immoral expressions, as stated by Mosher (1979) and others.


Further, the guilt associated with moral violations are widespread, but probably only when those behaviors endanger the status of an individual's relationship, for example, when a husband or wife demanded a divorce following the arrest and punishment follow-mate on a serious crime.


In the conclusion of Jones et al, moral standards and moral behavior is a common bond. More than that, seems to experience guilt when the personal relationship is threatened or disrupted, either questionable or not, the behavior is against the law or not approved / preferred the wider community.

Clearly, guilt or shame into one of the keys in a society. Chaos and rampant criminality and other immoral acts whether obvious or subtle, should raise questions in the hearts of each human being, where guilt and shame of this nation. Suppose every individual who still have them then this nation will be more mature and responsible, to see the community leaders who continued to commit corruption not as a justification for acts of anarchy in the public or other individuals. In the end back on ourselves, start to listen more conscience, empathy and sensitivity training on emotional social issues around us, especially for those who are lucky taste education and a comfortable position. Blasphemy and anger is an expression that might be a relief but it is certainly not a solution, wherever we are, start to wake up this nation from where we stand.

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Source

Jones-Warren et al, "You always hurt the one you love: guilt and transgressions against relationship partners,"; in Tangney, June P. & Fischer, Kurt W. (Ed), "Self-Conscious Emotions: The psychology of shame, guilt, embarrasement and pride,"; New York: The Guilford Press, 1995.