can guilt be a theme?

Guilt has a way of working its way into multiple aspects of an individual and their lives. Guilt can be appropriately assigned or inappropriately assigned, and all too often, I find that it is inappropriately assigned. When guilt is inappropriately assigned, it can create a perception of existing fault, blame eventually leading to identifying with the guilt itself. As someone begins to identify with the guide, it becomes a theme that they interact with and project to the outside world more often than not. The theme of guilt that has been created causes the individual to have a multitude of limiting beliefs that obstruct their rationale for the experience of guilt.

This theme of guilt can be carried for countless years and, through time, molding them into individuals they truly are not. Guilt can become such a theme in our lives that individuals will consciously and unconsciously create situations and circumstances that lend themselves to validating, thereby enabling the foothold that guilt has internally. In my clinical opinion, I have met individuals who have created a sense of undeserving via an experience that was inappropriately assigned. The belief of undeserving can lead an individual to “sabotage” positive outcomes to remain in the role or guilty. This is a delicate situation as the more the guilt is validated, the more it becomes part of the individual’s belief system.

Guilt can become a negative theme in an individual’s life. It impacts their self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-worth. It can also lead to perceiving the self as a victim of choice and or experiences. It is understood that having a “victim” mindset over an extended period of time leads to a negative self-evaluation that can lead to emotional stagnation. Guilt becoming a theme in a person’s life can involve secondary gains from such a perspective. Some secondary could include a “reason” to remain emotionally stagnant, seek emotional attention, justify goal settling, etc. So, although there is a tendency to consider guilt as a negative theme in a person’s life, there are also benefits to its existence. It also provides us an opportunity to work through and, in doing, the individual can refine their definition of guilt and its appropriate assignment in future occurrences.