ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Guilt society

Okay, kiddo, so you know when you do something wrong, and you feel bad about it? Like when you break your sister's toy and you feel guilty about it? Well, in some societies, people feel guilty about more things than just breaking toys.

In a guilt society, people are taught to always do the right thing and follow the rules. They feel guilty when they don't, even if nobody knows about it. Guilt makes them want to make it up by doing something good or confessing.

This is different from a shame society, where people are more concerned about what other people think of them. In a shame society, people feel ashamed when they do something wrong because they worry about what others will think.

So, in a guilt society, you are supposed to do the right thing, and if you don't, you should feel guilty and try to make it up. You might say sorry, or try to fix what you did wrong. It's all about being responsible and doing what's expected of you.