label: Guilt
label_lc: guilt
description: The experience of remorse, self-reproach, or perceived culpability for a real or perceived unfavorable outcome. Guilt may be proportionate to the context or disproportionate, and it may occur in the absence of an identifiable act, event, or offense. It reflects the interplay of cognitive processes, such as judgments about responsibility, and emotional responses, which can lead to persistent rumination or preoccupation. Guilt may extend to situations outside the individual's control and, in some cases, be accompanied by inaccurate or exaggerated beliefs about one's role in an outcome.