Whats the difference between shame and guilt?

Question

Don't they just feed each other, and make each other grow?

Is there really an important difference here?

Good try Paul but I think the word 'guilt' includes both an objective state and the feelings that it engenders.

I'm still not satisfied that there is any important difference between the two.

This question came out of my question about guilt and Catholicism.

I'm putting it out to a vote because its still a meaningless distinction to me. Lets see what other people think.

Answer 1

Shame is the act of personally taking on the guilt and feeling like you are a bad person because of the wrong you committed. In the world of addiction recovery, guilt is healthy, shame is not.

Answer 2

Shame is a subjective feeling. Guilt is an objective state. If you did something wrong, you ARE guilty, regardless of how you feel.

Answer 3

Guilt is something you feel when you believe you have done something you shouldn't have or when someone else tells you you shouldn't have. Shame is when you are sorry for what you did and you know that you have let yourself down - by your own standards.

Answer 4

I felt shame tho i was innocent. He was guilty.