Guilt
/gilt/ Noun
"the fact of having committed a specified or implied offense or crime."
Guilt is feeling self-conscious and experiencing a sense of distress about your potential responsibility for a negative outcome.
Like all self-conscious emotions, guilt originates from a process of self-evaluation and introspection and may involve your perception of how others value you.
(Guilt, Oxford Languages Dictionary, Oxford Languages 2023)
Guilt Society
guilt so·ci·ety
noun
ANTHROPOLOGY
noun: guilt society; plural noun: guilt societies
In a guilt society, the primary method of social control is the inculcation of feelings of guilt for behaviours that the individual believes to be undesirable. A prominent feature of guilt societies is the provision of sanctioned releases from guilt for certain behaviours, whether before or after the fact.
Counties considered "Guilt Societies" include:
France, Australia, Korea, Germany, The United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, The United States, Ireland, South Africa
(Guilt Society, Oxford Languages Dictionary, Oxford Languages 2023)
Shame
/SHām/ Noun
"a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior."
Verb
"(of a person, action, or situation) make (someone) feel ashamed."
Shame can be defined as a feeling of embarrassment or humiliation that arises in relation to the perception of having done something dishonorable, immoral, or improper.
(Shame, Oxford Languages Dictionary, Oxford Languages 2023)
Shame Culture
shame cul·ture
noun
ANTHROPOLOGY
noun: shame culture; plural noun: shame cultures
a culture in which conformity of behavior is maintained through the individual's fear of being shamed.
"a shame culture, such as existed in Homeric times, puts high emphasis on preserving honour and on not being publicly disgraced"
Countries considered "Shame Cultures" include:
Russia, China, India, Thailand, Japan, Pakistan, Uganda, Mexico
(Shame Culture, Oxford Languages Dictionary, Oxford Languages 2023)
Why Shame and Guilt?
Through cultural discussion and conversation, the involved parties found two complimentary concepts that in many ways define the respective nations of each institution: Shame and Guilt.
It is not only fascinating and informative to observe how a culture relates to its own concept of shame or guilt, but very telling of the human experience how those from cultures outside our own relate as well. Through engaging with these textured and varied interpretations readers and contributors alike can find a new appreciation and understanding of shame and guilt in an international context. By members of a guilt society observing the thoughts and fears of a shame culture, and vice versa, we can all come to terms with what it means to be human – wherever you may be.