Guilty feeling and fear. Two shadows that follow a person since childhood. They can be drivers of progress, but they can also be a paralyzing poison. Fear of punishment gives rise to guilt, and guilt feeds fear. This tangle wraps around the soul, hinders breathing, and makes people commit illogical actions. But can this vicious circle be broken? And do we need to get rid of guilt completely? We explore the intricacies of the two most powerful emotions.Where does the feeling of guilt come fromGuilt is an emotion that arises when a person violates internal moral codes or social norms. We feel guilty if we lied, betrayed, or didn't help. Physiologically, it is related to the activity of the prefrontal cortex (responsible for self-control) and the amygdala (processing fear). Small children begin to experience guilt at 2-3 years old, when empathy is formed. If parents punish too harshly for mistakes, a child may grow up with an exaggerated sense of guilt ("guilty for everything"). If they are not punished at all, guilt may not develop, and a sociopath may grow up.Guilt as a tool for manipulation"You don't love me," "I did so much for you," "If it weren't for you, everything would have worked out" - these are classic phrases of manipulators. They evoke a sense of guilt in the victim to control their behavior. The victim starts to apologize, take on other people's responsibility, and feel like a debtor. This is a destructive scenario. It is important to distinguish between healthy guilt (I really made a mistake) and imposed guilt (they make me feel guilty for who I am).Fear: biological and socialFear is a basic emotion that ensures survival. It can be innate (darkness, height, loud noises) and acquired (fear of responsibility, fear of rejection, fear of success). If guilt is an assessment of past actions, then fear is a reaction to future threats. However, guilt and fear are closely intertwined: being afraid of punishment (external or internal), we may commit strange thing ... Читать далее