Let's talk about Guilt, Shame & Pride. The 3 things that Blocks And Distorts Memory.
Guilt is self-focused but also highly socially relevant. We feelshame when we violate the social norms we believe in. At such moments we feel humiliated, exposed, and small and are unable to look another person straight in the eye. We want to sink into the ground and disappear.
Shame makes us direct our focus inward and view our entire self in a negative light. Feelings of guilt, in contrast, result from a concrete action for which we accept responsibility. Guilt causes us to focus our attention on the feelings of others.
Pride is often driven by poor self-worth and shame. We feel so badly about ourselves that we compensate by feeling superior. We look for others’ flaws as a way to conceal our own. We relish criticizing others as a defense against recognizing our own shortcomings. Pride prevents us from acknowledging our human vulnerabilities.
