Healthy guilt is a warning signal that either something dangerous is about to happen or something has already happened that needs  51  A feeling of distress is good when it keeps us from  52  our own values. It serves a useful function. Here is a(n)  53 : If a fire broke out in someone's home due to faulty wiring, he would not be content with  54  putting out the fire. Rather, he would have the house rewired. When we feel guilty about something, we have to make the necessary changes in our character to prevent a  55 .

Unhealthy guilt is a distressful feeling which occurs without reason or persists even after appropriate steps have been taken to deal with a situation. A person with low self-esteem may react to feelings of guilt in one of two ways:  56  that he has done wrong in order to protect his fragile ego; or experience the feeling as a  57  that he is just an unworthy person. An example involves the case of Mr. L. He has a  58  with Mr. Y and exchanges angry words. Later that day, Mr. Y gets sick. Mr. L may feel that he was the cause of Mr. Y's misfortune. Mr. L feels unwarranted guilt for the misfortune and thinks that his angry feelings caused the misfortune. This is irrational thinking and is  59  of pathological guilt.

When people do research on a particular challenge and make a decision, the decision may lead to unfavorable consequences. Feeling distress and pain is normal.  60 , feeling guilty over the idea that you caused the consequences is unhealthy. As long as a decision is made with proper advice and with good intent, then the person remains morally right in having made the decision. There is no reason for guilt.