Guilt

A painful feeling that arises from the awareness of having broken a moral code. Guilt is self-inflicted, unlike shame, which depends on how other people view the transgression. Some psychoanalysts view guilt as a result of the prohibitions of the superego instilled by parental authority in early life. Others see guilt as a conditioned response to actions that in the past have led to punishment. Feeling guilty for no reason or for an imagined crime is one of the main symptoms of psychotic depression.