A member asked:

What causes feelings of shame and guilt?

14 doctors weighed in across 4 answers

Shame and guilt: Are similar, but i think of shame as feeling bad about who your are and guilt as feeling bad about something you've done or failed to do. In general, it is less harmful to feel guilty about a behavior because you can change your behavior more easily than who you are. Labeling yourself with negative terms such as stupid, lazy, ugly, etc. May feel permanent and unchangeable.

Answered 5/8/2015

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Guilt and Shame: A certain amount of guilt means we have a conscious, when it is excessive we have developed a punitive attitude toward ourselves that is excessive and unwarranted. This is learned behavior and any learned behavior can be unlearned. Shame is often the result of being humiliated too early in life and then you can be easily shamed and embarrassed for just being human. Best.

Answered 2/24/2018

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Dr. Brian Lynch answered

Specializes in Family Medicine

Shame and guilt: The answer is anything can cause shame and guilt. A good way to see shame is that we feel shame when we don't get what we want. Human beings can want anything under the sun so if they don't get it that feeling is a feeling of shame. Once we feel shame we might be taught that whatever happened was our fault and that we will be punished for it, seems to me that is be guilt. Brianlynchmd.Com.

Answered 10/4/2015

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Shame: Shame is caused by many things and is experienced very differently by different people. Sometimes people have done things they probably should feel shame about, while many others have not; they only think they should feel ashamed because an authority figure has told them to. Everyone feels shame; it's the rule and not the exception. Find a reputable psychotherapist to speak with in a safe place.

Answered 8/16/2017

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