Catholic guilt

[2] It is related to, although distinguishable from, "shame", in that the former involves an awareness of causing injury to another, while the latter arises from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, or ridiculous, done by oneself.

[3] Philip Yancey, a spiritual author who often writes about the Christian faith, has said of guilt that it "is only a symptom; we listen to it because it drives us toward the cure".

[5] After the practice of confession declined in the 1970s, it became common for Catholic theologians and clergy to attribute this to a loss of "healthy guilt".

Distressed by her romantic relationship with Charles Ryder, Julia Flyte exclaims: "I saw to-day there was one thing unforgivable [...]; to set up a rival good to God's.

[...] it may be a private bargain between me and God, that if I give up this one thing I want so much, however bad I am, He won't quite despair of me in the end.

A 2005 study in Psychology of Religion found that Catholic participants demonstrated a higher level of constructive guilt reactions than other groups.

[14] A 1984 study in American Behavioral Scientist analyzed interviews with participants from Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant backgrounds.

The study noted no difference in the effect of guilt-inducing behaviors on Catholic versus non-Catholic participants.