Guilt–shame–fear spectrum of cultures

Guilt, shame, and fear are three different ways that cultures can deal with wrong actions or behavior. Guilt is when someone feels bad after they have done something wrong. Shame is when someone feels embarrassed or bad about who they are as a person. Fear is when someone is scared of being caught or punished for something bad. Cultures usually have different ways of dealing with these emotions when someone has done something wrong. For example, some cultures may focus more on guilt and punishing people for their wrongs, while others may emphasize shame and make people feel bad about themselves, or fear and make people scared to do anything wrong.