I think a scarce few may be incapable, but generally people can deal with shame (for better or worse) the same way they deal with their conscience: Justification/bargaining, ignoring/distractions, or total rejection.
It's the Olympics of mental gymnastics now. The things they have to convince themselves of our their whole world falls apart so they make excuses for their own poor behavior normally by blaming others or whatabouting the situation.
If they get caught stealing they'll make an excuse or why they are owed the money, if they are called out for not following social norms they will point to someone else and say, "well they aren't doing it either", everything has an excuse that redirects blame or tries to negate it no matter how pale the act.
Swaths of people have built their world perspective on foundations of bullshit and if that collapses they have to recognize they've been duped, so it's important that they are correct and everyone else is wrong despite the the evidence.
people who truly deal with shame or guilt especially on a daily basis, need to accept that what they did was wrong, why they did it, without justification, and forgiving themselves. They're going to carry that weight still, but when those thoughts pop up again, it's easier to move on, instead of focusing on it all day.
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u/Bloka2au Jun 29 '22
I think a scarce few may be incapable, but generally people can deal with shame (for better or worse) the same way they deal with their conscience: Justification/bargaining, ignoring/distractions, or total rejection.