Remorse refers to a distressing emotion a person feels regretting actions which they have done in the past, that they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or wrong.
Remorse is related to guilt and self-directed resentment.
When a person regrets an earlier action or failure to act, it may be because of remorse or in response to various other consequences, including being punished for the act or omission.
People may express remorse through apologies, trying to repair the damage they’ve caused, or self-imposed punishments.
A person who is incapable of feeling remorse is often diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.
Apologies usually include a statement or expression of regret, humility, or remorse; a request for forgiveness; and an expression of a credible commitment to change or a promise that it will not happen again.
Apologies may also include some restitution, compensation or token gesture in line with the damage that one has caused.
A fully effective apology includes: remorse, responsibility, resolution and reparation.
When an apology is delayed, the perception of the offense can compounded over time: known as compounding remorse.
Psychopathic individuals are best known for their flagrant disregard for social and moral norms.
Psychopaths have dysfunctional personal relationships, characterized by violence, exploitation, and philandering.
Psychopathic individuals, are incapable of feeling guilt or empathy, they respond abnormally to fear and pain, and other emotions are shallow compared to population norms.
Psychopaths refuse to adopt social and moral norms because they are not swayed by the emotions, such as guilt, remorse, or fear of retribution, that influence other human beings.
A person who exhibits a lack of remorse is often perceived in a negative light.
Remorse is the proper reaction to misconduct.
Remorse may originate in from either actual or contrived regret for the misconduct that results in being caught or causing harm.
Facial expressions of offenders on trial affect the jury’s attitude.
Psychopathy represents traits that are missing within a person’s personality, such as a lack of empathy and remorse.
Knowledge of psychopathic traits affect how jurors perceive adult and juvenile offenders.
Attributing psychopathic traits to adult and juvenile offenders can have a noticeable negative effect on how these individuals are viewed by others.
Those labeled as “disorder” were given death verdicts by mock jurors.
Remorselessness has the largest effect on jurors’ opinions of offenders.
People who score highly on psychopathy measures are less likely to exhibit affective empathy.
Psychopathic individuals do not show regret or remorse, due to an inability to generate this emotion in response to negative outcomes.
The perception of remorse is essential to an apology, and the greater the perception of remorse the more effective the apology.
An effective apology reduces negative consequences and facilitates cognitive and behavioral changes associated with forgiveness.
With empathy as the mediator between apologies and forgiveness and remorse as the essential part to an apology, one can expect empathy to mediate perceived remorse forgiveness.
Remorse may signal that one is suffering psychologically because of one’s negative behavior, which leads to empathy from the victim, who may then express forgiveness.
It is suggested that when a victim perceives an apology to be remorseful, then they believe the negative behavior will not occur again, and they will be more willing to forgive the perpetrator.
Remorse is closely linked with the willingness to humble oneself and to repent for one’s misdeeds.
Remorse captures feelings of guilt, regret, and sorrow.
Forgiveness does not eliminate all negative feelings.
Forgiveness may entail the reduction of bitter and angry feelings, but not feelings of disappointment, regret, or sorrow.
People who forgive themselves for serious offenses may continue to harbor remorse or regret.
In contrast to remorse, self-condemnation reflects a more negative, and severe stance toward oneself.
Remorse may convey a sense of sorrow, while self-condemnation suggests the kind of loathing and desire for punishment that characterizes interpersonal grudges.
Self-forgiveness does not necessarily require one to get rid of feelings or regret or remorse.
Self-forgiveness seems to relate more closely to self-condemnation and not remorse.
So it is not to erase the potentially adaptive feelings of remorse along with the more destructive self-condemnation.
People can experience prosocial behaviors once they accept responsibility for their own transgressions.
Regrets of action are intense, but only in the short term, while regrets of inaction gains intensity over time and dominates people’s experience.
Major life choices, such as marriage, jobs, and education, are often the focus of regret.
Everyday decisions are the most frequent causes of regret.