Feelings of guilt may signal leadership potential (2012)
This study uses one behavior 'guilt' to correlate to a sense of duty to others, as it appears to be the differentiator between guilt and shame - and to that end, I accept and agree.<p>However, I believe there is a misconception with the shared definition of guilt in some cultures - one that followed me in the circles of SV I knew, playfully called "Catholic Guilt." I've come to learn what the true driver of 'the guilt' is, and it has helped me in my leadership in profound ways. The heart of the misconception from others is that the ultimate perfection of 'guilt' is martyrdom. In the SV circles I ran I exhibited such through the seeking of reducing oneself to elevate others. And so without the keel in knowing the origins of one's beliefs, one can easily adorn that alternative definition as truth, as I did.<p>-- Forewarning: this gets religious, but it is only to help those who have experienced the same things I have. There is no 'best religion' or teaching insulated below, for I, too, am still a fool. This is just one humble person's perspective --<p>To those who feel that an ultimate sacrifice is martyrdom, I would direct you to read the Passion from the Gospel of John. In the time of Christ's death, only one apostle remained with Christ at the foot of the cross - the apostle John. To those who know the story, John is the disciple to whom Jesus references to Mary when saying, 'woman behold your son.' What becomes interesting about John, in addition to the sole apostle in attendance at the crucifixion, is that he did not suffer martyrdom as all other apostles did.<p>So perhaps interpreting guilt as a symptom of <i>not</i> honoring the ultimate sacrifice, is the correct orientation. Meaning that Honor, if allowed to be defined as duty over self, is the desired 'behavior,' sought in this study and to be lived in all aspects of life as a 'Christian.' And to reduce one's guilt through the pursuit of Honor, rather than desensitization and liberation of 'the guilt,' is what one needs to plainly emphasize. In my experience, it sheds the air of 'Catholic Guilt' over those misunderstood actions in a fortifying way.