5 Things to Know About Toxic Shame

The Psychology of Shame

Key Differences Between Guilt and Shame Guilt: “I did something bad.” Shame: “I am bad.” 1. Definition Guilt is the feeling of remorse or regret over a specific action or behavior. Shame is the feeling of being fundamentally flawed or unworthy as a person. 2. Focus Guilt focuses on what you did (“I made a mistake”). Shame focuses on who you are (“I am a mistake”). 3. Emotional Impact Guilt can be constructive—it motivates you to make amends and change behavior. Shame is destructive—it leads to f

There’s a big difference between guilt and shame. Shame Iz known to be correlated to interfering with your capacity to repair and recover from events/trauma, whereas guilt is positively correlated to repair and recovery. Shame tells us I am a bad person. Guilt tells us I did a bad thing and wise remorse is even better! Wise remorse helps us to acknowledge wrongdoing and repair relationships where required but still maintain self-worth and compassion for self and others. Shame shut us down often