# Guilt vs. Shame. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651 "2004-02-28T19:29:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/1 "2004-02-28T19:29:42Z")
In several books on religion, I’ve seen Judiasm described as a Guilt based religion, and Catholicism as a Shame based religion. What exactly is the difference between guilt and shame? Why is the distinction important? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/2 "2004-02-28T19:32:06Z")
> [@Reyemile](#): > > In several books on religion, I’ve seen Judiasm described as a Guilt based religion, and Catholicism as a Shame based religion. What exactly is the difference between guilt and shame? Why is the distinction important? I believe that it’s the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![seaworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@seaworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seaworthy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/3 "2004-02-28T19:39:18Z")
_guilt_- a painful feeling of self-reproach resulting from a belief that one has done something wrong or immoral _shame_- a painful feeling of having lost the respect of others because of the improper behavior of oneself So basically, if you feel guilty, it’s a personal thing, and if you feel shame, it’s because you’re worried about what everyone thinks And I’d say it’s the other way around too. I grew up Catholic, and they always reminded you that even if no one finds out about the things you’ve done, God will always know. They start building that guilt mechanism at a young age. ---
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/4 "2004-02-28T20:10:34Z")
[QUOTE=seaworthy _shame_- a painful feeling of having lost the respect of others because of the improper behavior of oneself And I’d say it’s the other way around too. I grew up Catholic, and they always reminded you that even if no one finds out about the things you’ve done, God will always know. They start building that guilt mechanism at a young age.[/QUOTE] Really? It sounds like “God knows what you did” is the same as “Having lost the respect of others”. Meanwhile, the Torah (please don’t ask me for the exact line) says essentially that what matters most for repentance is that you right the wrong you commited, undoing the “Wrong or immoral” deed so you no longer need feel guilt. Of course, I’m neither a philosopher nor a religious scholar, so I may be mistaken… ---
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/5 "2004-02-28T20:11:39Z")
Oh, and by the way, where do other religions fall the Guilt/Shame spectrum? ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/6 "2004-02-28T20:30:58Z")
> [@Reyemile](#): > > Oh, and by the way, where do other religions fall the Guilt/Shame spectrum? You are guilty of attempting to divert your original question into a secondary question, which you apparently thought would escape our notice. You ought to be ashamed of yourself! ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/7 "2004-02-28T20:41:01Z")
Within moral philosophy both judaism and Christianity are usually thought of as involving a guilt-based morality. This is contrasted to (generally speaking) classical Greek morality and Eastern religion/morality. The classic text on this is _The Chrysanthemum and the Sword_ (1946) by the anthropologist Ruth Benedict, about Japanese culture. She defines a true shame culture as relying on external sanctions for good behavior, while true guilt cultures would rely on an internalized conviction of sin. As far as I know, these characterizations are generally still accepted, but it is debatable whether any culture can really be characterized as true shame or guilt. Any given culture shows signs of both, the differences between cultures more gradual. Nonetheless, if applied with care, it may offer a useful normal type for studying different moral systems. For the record, there are discussions whether the strong emphasis on guilt in Judaism/Christianity is really desirable. See for philosophical studies, among many others: - Gabrielle Taylor, _Pride, Shame, and Guilt_, Oxford 1985. - Bernard Williams, _Shame and Necessity_, Berkeley 1993. - Leonard Boonin, ‘Guilt, Shame and Morality’, Journal of Value Inquiry 17 (1983), pp. 295-304 (from which I derived the quote of Benedict’s division). Sociological studies: - Agnes Heller, _The Power of Shame_, London 1985. Psychological studies: - Leon Wurmser, _The Mask of Shame_, Baltimore 1981 (really noteworthy). And see an extensive bibliography [here](http://www.pitbossannie.com/database_bf/dba_short.php?source=database_bf&showindex=shame) (I’m not affiliated with them). ---
**Author:** ![Pythagras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/45deac/32.png) [@Pythagras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagras)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/8 "2004-02-28T22:05:14Z")
Shame is the feeling or beleif that you are inherintly wrong or inadequate by nature (ie original sin). Guilt is the negative feeling felt that something you actually did is wrong (ie breaking Jewish law). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/9 "2004-02-28T23:19:43Z")
I’ve heard it put forth (but do not personally endorse) that guilt is felt over what we’ve done, while shame is felt over what we are. Don’t know if that makes sense in your worldview or not. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilt-vs-shame/231651/10 "2004-02-28T23:23:45Z")
I swear **Pythagras** ’s post wasn’t there when I composed mine!!