Morality
A guilty conscience denotes existence of a moral standard
within oneself; a super ego that has the ability to identify a compromise in
morality, subsequently directing an individual towards pro social acts. Guilt
is an emotion and brings out responsibility towards the violation, typically
warranting merit for the correction. Guilt can also have negative eventualities
with self-blame leading to withdrawal, self-resentment, delusions and frequently
suicide. Consciousness as well as unawareness of guilt can have ruinous
outcomes. It is imperative to understand and deal with guilt to reach a truce
in the battle between the id and ego as well as ego and super-ego.
‘Ego’ represents a sense of the self. Ego is the actuality
of existence well elucidated by Freud as the reality principle. ‘Id’ as voiced
by Freud is a pleasure driven principle, the relentless desire to fulfill all
wants (frequently deemed as needs by the unrestricted pleasure principle). ‘Super-ego’
is the morality principle that usually tames the id. The blend of all three
composes the state of the human mind and the direction it yields. An
understanding of guilt entails deciphering the interactions between these 3
states.
- Id overpowering ego and super ego = Absence of remorse
- Super ego overpowering id and ego = Excessive guiltiness
- Truce between these three states = Guilt with rectification
Guilt best represents some or the other conflict of
commission or omission; having done something that one believes should not have
been done or failing to do what was supposed to be. It epitomizes the struggle
between reality and morality. Temptation (well understood as the original sin)
lies in the vein of all humans and animals. Enticement doesn't make man a jarring
beast. The ability to give in or restrain from the temptation defines the moral
wars of humanity. Guilt is symbolic of the existence of moral judgment. What
follows guilt further demarcates the moral standards. Internal guilt is the
perceived damage inflicted on others while external guilt represents the
actuality of the pain imposed.
Counter guilt (external)
Dormant moral values may disallow perception of guilt. Many
continue to steal, cheat, err, trick and swindle with apparently little or no
realization. They overuse the defense of repression that involves burying the
guilt in the unconscious mind with no conscious experience of remorse. Often
enough one also projects the blame on another to escape the self-reproach (at a
subconscious level) besides escaping punishment in the conscious state.
- I was not rude to her; in fact she was the impolite one!
- That accident was not my fault, he was driving so rash!
- I cheated to pass the exam; exams shouldn't be so tough!
- I binged though I’m on a diet; she offered the cake to me!
Counter guilt (internal)
Internal projection can sometimes be excessive where self-blame
may escalate to abnormally high proportions. Sometimes we punish ourselves is
we haven’t found an opportunity to compensate for our misdoing. Frequently
enough the self-punishment is inflicted even though the opportunity for
compensating exists. One rather have oneself punish the self than another
(presuming one may safeguard some self respect here). However the guilt
continues to irk and itch until one finds a true method of recompensing. Those
who internally counter guilt suffer from anxiety and depressive feelings often.
Feed the conscience
The conscience distinguishes right from wrong. This
distinction typically is based on rational judgment. Metaphorically it
represents graciousness, the inner voice and the light within oneself. The
‘gut’ feeling that comes from within may be sounded by the inner voice that
tells us what should and shouldn't be done. Sometimes this inner voice speaks
very softly and is barely audible. The wise and conscientious feed the
conscience and heed to it loud and clear; that is how some people know how to
make the right choice; for themselves and those around them…
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