What do you think?
Rate this book
The Power of Guilt: Why We Feel It and Its Surprising Ability to Heal
Guilt is one of the most powerful—and unpleasant—emotions we experience. When we feel it, we want it gone.
But it carries an important purpose we should learn not to ignore.
When was the last time you felt guilty? Chances are, you don’t even want to think about it—most of us would rather not. It’s uncomfortable. We can’t change what we did now, so why dwell on it?
But avoiding guilt is a mistake we have to stop making if we want to improve our lives, our relationships, and our mental health.
Drawing on extensive research into psychology, psychotherapy, philosophy, comparative religion, and legal studies, as well as Chris Moore’s own foundational experiences with the emotion, Guilt offers a new perspective.
In this fascinating deep dive, readers will
The evolutionary origins of guilt, what its real purpose is, and how it impacts us Why we should view guilt as a healthy emotion—and even be grateful for it How to reframe guilt as an opportunity to grow and strengthen our relationships Why collective guilt holds the potential for driving social change Ways to recognize when our guilt is misplaced and acting as an obstacle
Our ability to feel guilt is a gift, not a burden. We need only change the way we respond to it. Guilt is an engaging and eye-opening journey through one of the most notortious—and underutilized—emotions.
But it carries an important purpose we should learn not to ignore.
When was the last time you felt guilty? Chances are, you don’t even want to think about it—most of us would rather not. It’s uncomfortable. We can’t change what we did now, so why dwell on it?
But avoiding guilt is a mistake we have to stop making if we want to improve our lives, our relationships, and our mental health.
Drawing on extensive research into psychology, psychotherapy, philosophy, comparative religion, and legal studies, as well as Chris Moore’s own foundational experiences with the emotion, Guilt offers a new perspective.
In this fascinating deep dive, readers will
The evolutionary origins of guilt, what its real purpose is, and how it impacts us Why we should view guilt as a healthy emotion—and even be grateful for it How to reframe guilt as an opportunity to grow and strengthen our relationships Why collective guilt holds the potential for driving social change Ways to recognize when our guilt is misplaced and acting as an obstacle
Our ability to feel guilt is a gift, not a burden. We need only change the way we respond to it. Guilt is an engaging and eye-opening journey through one of the most notortious—and underutilized—emotions.
- GenresPsychology
368 pages, Hardcover
Published January 6, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 1, 2026
Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for an advanced copy for an unbiased review.
I am someone who was raised Roman Catholic, but then had shed all vestiges of religion in my teen and adult life - all except for the perpetual spectre of guilt and shame that hangs over me.
So I was naturally interested in Chris Moore's take on this (as well as a method of perhaps BANISHING this spectre to a normal level of haunting).
The Power of Guilt is a well plotted and researched book. What this means takes its time presenting the building blocks of Moore's argument (which means parts of it may be a necessary retread of the history of psychology). If you have studied psychology, or have read other books with a psychological basis, you may or many not appreciate this retread - so I would argue that you can probably skip the 1st chapter.
Moore separates the idea of Guilt and Shame in the following manner: Guilt is feeling bad about something that you did (an action), whereas shame is feeling bad about yourself (being a bad person). Shame is more person-focused; guilt is more action-focused. Guilt can lead to shame, and feed shame to the point that it persists on its own after amends have been made on the action that caused the initial guilt.
He also breaks down the complex meta-emotion of guilt into its subcomponent emotions:
- anxiety over relationship damage or loss (which motivates us to repair the relationship)
- empathy for the other's suffering
- remorse for causing another's suffering
The breakdown allows us to better understand the gnarly dimensions of guilt, and helps us understand that its purpose is not to be a set of shackles and chains weigh us down and punish us, but rather that it motivates us to repair the relationship we feel we have transgressed upon.
Knowing all of the above does not help us shed guilt easier, as while Guilt motivates us to repair the relationships, it does not offer guidance on how.
Guilt can prepare us to do the right thing, but cannot not guide us on what that thing is. Unfortunately, neither can the author in this manner.
One other thing that I appreciated about this title is that Moore uses his own personal story to act as live examples to the components of his thesis. He had a very serious transgression as a young man, and does an excellent job of exemplifying his points with his own story.
I would have liked to see a chapter on the cultural-bound aspects of guilt. Much like we know that there are phobias that are culture specific, I would be curious on what the research says about guilt in this manner.
There is a chapter where he discusses guilt and religion, but it mostly covers the Abrahamic religions (which are somewhat of a monolith when it comes to transgressions).
I am someone who was raised Roman Catholic, but then had shed all vestiges of religion in my teen and adult life - all except for the perpetual spectre of guilt and shame that hangs over me.
So I was naturally interested in Chris Moore's take on this (as well as a method of perhaps BANISHING this spectre to a normal level of haunting).
The Power of Guilt is a well plotted and researched book. What this means takes its time presenting the building blocks of Moore's argument (which means parts of it may be a necessary retread of the history of psychology). If you have studied psychology, or have read other books with a psychological basis, you may or many not appreciate this retread - so I would argue that you can probably skip the 1st chapter.
Moore separates the idea of Guilt and Shame in the following manner: Guilt is feeling bad about something that you did (an action), whereas shame is feeling bad about yourself (being a bad person). Shame is more person-focused; guilt is more action-focused. Guilt can lead to shame, and feed shame to the point that it persists on its own after amends have been made on the action that caused the initial guilt.
He also breaks down the complex meta-emotion of guilt into its subcomponent emotions:
- anxiety over relationship damage or loss (which motivates us to repair the relationship)
- empathy for the other's suffering
- remorse for causing another's suffering
The breakdown allows us to better understand the gnarly dimensions of guilt, and helps us understand that its purpose is not to be a set of shackles and chains weigh us down and punish us, but rather that it motivates us to repair the relationship we feel we have transgressed upon.
Knowing all of the above does not help us shed guilt easier, as while Guilt motivates us to repair the relationships, it does not offer guidance on how.
Guilt can prepare us to do the right thing, but cannot not guide us on what that thing is. Unfortunately, neither can the author in this manner.
One other thing that I appreciated about this title is that Moore uses his own personal story to act as live examples to the components of his thesis. He had a very serious transgression as a young man, and does an excellent job of exemplifying his points with his own story.
I would have liked to see a chapter on the cultural-bound aspects of guilt. Much like we know that there are phobias that are culture specific, I would be curious on what the research says about guilt in this manner.
There is a chapter where he discusses guilt and religion, but it mostly covers the Abrahamic religions (which are somewhat of a monolith when it comes to transgressions).
February 1, 2026
This non-fiction read digs into how guilt shows up in our lives, where it comes from, and how it shapes our decisions, relationships, and sense of self.
Guilt is not just as a “bad feeling,” but is a psychological and social force that can influence behaviour, especially as we grow and develop as people.
My Key Takeaways:
✨ Guilt isn’t always negative, it can act as a moral compass, but it can also become a heavy emotional burden.
✨ A lot of our guilt is learned through our upbringing, culture, and life experiences.
✨ Understanding the WHY we feel guilty, can help us respond more thoughtfully vs. reacting emotionally.
✨ There’s a lot of focus on human development and how our sense of right and wrong evolves over time.
This topic is interesting, and Chris Moore provides thoughtful ideas about why we feel guilt and how it forms, but I felt like the book stayed surface-level. It leaned a lot into human development and theory, and was a bit repetitive with this subject throughout. I was hoping for a deeper, more practical dive into using or releasing guilt in everyday life. Worth a read if you’re curious about the psychology behind guilt, but it didn’t totally wow me or change how I see the topic.
Guilt is not just as a “bad feeling,” but is a psychological and social force that can influence behaviour, especially as we grow and develop as people.
My Key Takeaways:
✨ Guilt isn’t always negative, it can act as a moral compass, but it can also become a heavy emotional burden.
✨ A lot of our guilt is learned through our upbringing, culture, and life experiences.
✨ Understanding the WHY we feel guilty, can help us respond more thoughtfully vs. reacting emotionally.
✨ There’s a lot of focus on human development and how our sense of right and wrong evolves over time.
This topic is interesting, and Chris Moore provides thoughtful ideas about why we feel guilt and how it forms, but I felt like the book stayed surface-level. It leaned a lot into human development and theory, and was a bit repetitive with this subject throughout. I was hoping for a deeper, more practical dive into using or releasing guilt in everyday life. Worth a read if you’re curious about the psychology behind guilt, but it didn’t totally wow me or change how I see the topic.
January 5, 2026
Review to come soon!
December 23, 2025
This book is not what I expected. As a therapist, I often have to work on guilt with my clients, especially excessive or toxic guilt. I picked up this book, and appreciated its contents, because it frames guilt as a useful and necessary emotion to alert us that there has been some kind of damage that needs to be repaired. That’s the point of guilt and once the repair has been made, we no longer need the guilt. This book, though, is mainly research-based, so if you want a deep dive into the development of guilt, what makes us prone to guilt, how guilt operates between parent & child, in religion, and in the law, you will really like this book. It is not self-help in the sense that it doesn’t offer any practical advice for what to do if you feel too much guilt, other than saying it’s useful to see it as a good thing.
July 26, 2026
I’m a firm believer that every emotion humans have, even the ones that feel difficult, is the result of evolution—like every other aspect of human biology and psychology, emotions are adaptive. They have survived because they’ve helped us survive. So, unpleasant feelings like guilt, remorse, sadness, jealousy, and grief have purposes that have helped keep the human species going.
That’s an important aspect of The Power of Guilt: Why We Feel It and Its Surprising Ability to Heal (HarperCollins, 2025) by Chris Moore, PhD. I’m what Moore would likely refer to as guilt-prone; anytime things aren’t going well in a relationship, I tend to blame myself and feel guilty until I find something about it that I can apologize for.
I always know when guilt is worsening my brain chatter because I’ll start to ruminate—whatever it is I’m feeling guilty about, I will go over it ad infinitum. That’s how I know that what’s bothering me is guilt. Once I figure out what I’m feeling guilty about, I’m able to do whatever is necessary to a) make amends and seek forgiveness, b) forgive myself, or c) realize I don’t have any real reason to feel guilty and there’s nothing to forgive myself for.
The Power of Guilt is a thorough examination of the role guilt plays in child development, adult relationships, parent-child relationships both during the growing years and with adult children, and how guilt can go awry and cause various mental health issues, as well as broader social guilt—guilt in religion, guilt in criminal behaviour, and the collective guilt some of us feel for social wrongs such as racism and the climate crisis.
But it’s his final chapter, Making Friends with Guilt, that I want to quote from:
“No one wants to feel guilt because it is so unpleasant. It is part fear and anxiety, part sadness, and part anger. On their own, each of these emotions us unpleasant; together, they’re awful. But there’s a good reason we feel negative emotions: they move us to act to protect ourselves and to protect others. Think about pain. No one likes to be in pain, but pain is important and helpful—it signals to us when there might be tissue damage. If we didn’t feel pain, we would suffer many more bruises, cuts, burns, and all forms of bodily damage. Pain motivates us to protect our bodies form injury and repair harm that has occurred. In the case of guilt, its purpose is to signal that we may have put our relationships at risk, and we should do something to protect and heal them. …
“We all need a network of relationships to lead happy and fulfilled lives. At the core of this network are those communal relationships that are most meaningful to us—in most cases, our natal family, the family we may acquire through romantic relationships, and a circle of close friends. Beyond that core, relationships characterize the human condition, from individuals to nations. Some of these relationships are given to us, some we choose, but all can be at risk of damage when we act, as we almost inevitably will at some point, in ways that are selfish and uncaring.
“Guilt is the best signal we have that we need to work on our relationships. When we feel it, we should pay attention and use it as a guide. Sometimes, this means owning up to a transgression and apologizing. There’s no better way to restore a relationship than to make an authentic apology—sorry really shouldn’t be the hardest word! Even if we didn’t do anything wrong or hurtful, guilt can mean that we just haven’t put in the effort to nurture the relationship. Sometimes, dealing with guilt just means showing the other some TLC….
“If there is one lesson that I would want this book to convey, it is that guilt needs to shed its image problem. Yes, guilt is horrible, but like the best medicines of old, it is good for you. It helps us to identify when our relationships may be at risk, and it guides us to work on them and to restore them. Caring for our relationships, from the intimate to the global, is the most important task we face in life. So, let’s welcome guilt into our lives and make friends with it. Our relationships, and indeed our society, will be stronger for it.”
To read more from Canadian authors of creative nonfiction, visit my book blog at https://lynnemelcombe.com.
That’s an important aspect of The Power of Guilt: Why We Feel It and Its Surprising Ability to Heal (HarperCollins, 2025) by Chris Moore, PhD. I’m what Moore would likely refer to as guilt-prone; anytime things aren’t going well in a relationship, I tend to blame myself and feel guilty until I find something about it that I can apologize for.
I always know when guilt is worsening my brain chatter because I’ll start to ruminate—whatever it is I’m feeling guilty about, I will go over it ad infinitum. That’s how I know that what’s bothering me is guilt. Once I figure out what I’m feeling guilty about, I’m able to do whatever is necessary to a) make amends and seek forgiveness, b) forgive myself, or c) realize I don’t have any real reason to feel guilty and there’s nothing to forgive myself for.
The Power of Guilt is a thorough examination of the role guilt plays in child development, adult relationships, parent-child relationships both during the growing years and with adult children, and how guilt can go awry and cause various mental health issues, as well as broader social guilt—guilt in religion, guilt in criminal behaviour, and the collective guilt some of us feel for social wrongs such as racism and the climate crisis.
But it’s his final chapter, Making Friends with Guilt, that I want to quote from:
“No one wants to feel guilt because it is so unpleasant. It is part fear and anxiety, part sadness, and part anger. On their own, each of these emotions us unpleasant; together, they’re awful. But there’s a good reason we feel negative emotions: they move us to act to protect ourselves and to protect others. Think about pain. No one likes to be in pain, but pain is important and helpful—it signals to us when there might be tissue damage. If we didn’t feel pain, we would suffer many more bruises, cuts, burns, and all forms of bodily damage. Pain motivates us to protect our bodies form injury and repair harm that has occurred. In the case of guilt, its purpose is to signal that we may have put our relationships at risk, and we should do something to protect and heal them. …
“We all need a network of relationships to lead happy and fulfilled lives. At the core of this network are those communal relationships that are most meaningful to us—in most cases, our natal family, the family we may acquire through romantic relationships, and a circle of close friends. Beyond that core, relationships characterize the human condition, from individuals to nations. Some of these relationships are given to us, some we choose, but all can be at risk of damage when we act, as we almost inevitably will at some point, in ways that are selfish and uncaring.
“Guilt is the best signal we have that we need to work on our relationships. When we feel it, we should pay attention and use it as a guide. Sometimes, this means owning up to a transgression and apologizing. There’s no better way to restore a relationship than to make an authentic apology—sorry really shouldn’t be the hardest word! Even if we didn’t do anything wrong or hurtful, guilt can mean that we just haven’t put in the effort to nurture the relationship. Sometimes, dealing with guilt just means showing the other some TLC….
“If there is one lesson that I would want this book to convey, it is that guilt needs to shed its image problem. Yes, guilt is horrible, but like the best medicines of old, it is good for you. It helps us to identify when our relationships may be at risk, and it guides us to work on them and to restore them. Caring for our relationships, from the intimate to the global, is the most important task we face in life. So, let’s welcome guilt into our lives and make friends with it. Our relationships, and indeed our society, will be stronger for it.”
To read more from Canadian authors of creative nonfiction, visit my book blog at https://lynnemelcombe.com.
December 30, 2025
The Power of Guilt offers a thorough and well-researched exploration of guilt, providing readers with extensive background information on how guilt develops and how it differs from person to person. The author clearly has a strong grasp of the psychological foundations of guilt, and this is reflected in the many studies and research findings referenced throughout the book.
While this depth of research may appeal to readers with a strong interest in psychology, I found the content to be somewhat repetitive at times, with a heavy focus on the development of guilt and individual differences in how guilt is experienced. Many sections go into significant detail about psychological studies, which did not personally hold my interest.
The book also examines how guilt manifests in various contexts, such as eating disorders, religion, and crime. Although these examples may be helpful for some readers, I did not find all of these sections relatable and chose to skim or skip portions that felt less relevant to my own experiences.
Where the book felt weakest was in its conclusion. I would have appreciated a longer and more practical discussion on how to live with guilt and actively work through it within relationships. While the theoretical groundwork is strong, the book could benefit from more guidance on applying these insights to everyday life.
Overall, The Power of Guilt is an informative and well-researched read that will likely resonate most with readers interested in the psychological study of emotions. Those looking for more practical, relationship-focused strategies for managing guilt may find the book less satisfying.
While this depth of research may appeal to readers with a strong interest in psychology, I found the content to be somewhat repetitive at times, with a heavy focus on the development of guilt and individual differences in how guilt is experienced. Many sections go into significant detail about psychological studies, which did not personally hold my interest.
The book also examines how guilt manifests in various contexts, such as eating disorders, religion, and crime. Although these examples may be helpful for some readers, I did not find all of these sections relatable and chose to skim or skip portions that felt less relevant to my own experiences.
Where the book felt weakest was in its conclusion. I would have appreciated a longer and more practical discussion on how to live with guilt and actively work through it within relationships. While the theoretical groundwork is strong, the book could benefit from more guidance on applying these insights to everyday life.
Overall, The Power of Guilt is an informative and well-researched read that will likely resonate most with readers interested in the psychological study of emotions. Those looking for more practical, relationship-focused strategies for managing guilt may find the book less satisfying.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Review ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
3.75 stars!!
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY & CHRIS MOORE!
I’m just a regular, average person who likes picking up self help books to better understand emotions and people in general. That’s what drew me to this book. I wasn’t really interested in the animal facts. I get that the author was comparing mammals and making a point, but that part just didn’t do much for me. I thought the book did a great job explaining guilt. It’s an emotion that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, and I appreciated how clearly it was broken down. It helped me think about guilt in a more thoughtful way and understand where it comes from and how it affects us.
Even with a few parts that weren’t for me, I still found it insightful and worth reading for the emotional perspective alone.
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Quotes ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
"ɢᴜɪʟᴛ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ.”
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Review ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
3.75 stars!!
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY & CHRIS MOORE!
I’m just a regular, average person who likes picking up self help books to better understand emotions and people in general. That’s what drew me to this book. I wasn’t really interested in the animal facts. I get that the author was comparing mammals and making a point, but that part just didn’t do much for me. I thought the book did a great job explaining guilt. It’s an emotion that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, and I appreciated how clearly it was broken down. It helped me think about guilt in a more thoughtful way and understand where it comes from and how it affects us.
Even with a few parts that weren’t for me, I still found it insightful and worth reading for the emotional perspective alone.
✦⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆✦
✧｡･ﾟﾟ･☾ Quotes ☾･ﾟﾟ･｡✧
"ɢᴜɪʟᴛ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ.”
February 4, 2026
The Power of Guilt: Why We Feel It and Its Surprising Power to Heal (Kindle Edition)
by Chris Moore
A detailed academic look at guilt, and psychological aspects of this. Starting with the theory from a personal experience this Academic Psychologist looks at his own personal guilt. He recognizes the theoretical development of guilt and social interactions. Why do we have guilt and what is guilt is the main question. In the second chapter he looks at animal behavior and guilt, how did reunion of the social animal relationship. How does this relate to human behavior that restores the relationship? Apology, and acknowledgement and responsibility.
by Chris Moore
A detailed academic look at guilt, and psychological aspects of this. Starting with the theory from a personal experience this Academic Psychologist looks at his own personal guilt. He recognizes the theoretical development of guilt and social interactions. Why do we have guilt and what is guilt is the main question. In the second chapter he looks at animal behavior and guilt, how did reunion of the social animal relationship. How does this relate to human behavior that restores the relationship? Apology, and acknowledgement and responsibility.
Review of advance copy
I was given the opportunity to read this book, and to be honest it wasn’t one that I would reach for ordinarily. With that being said, I am very glad that I did. Although not all points resonated with me and my journey, I did appreciate the facts, the shift and perspective, and the ability to learn how tomove through guilt as a tool of empowerment versus keeping us contained in our own emotion.
February 4, 2026
Highly recommended!
A great read that delves into a variety of topic and reframes how you think about guilt and relationships.
It touches on parental relationships, religion, trauma and the role guilt plays in it all from a scientific and a personal viewpoint. If you are looking for a book that explores new idea's in social psychology an expands your horizons then give this a try.
A great read that delves into a variety of topic and reframes how you think about guilt and relationships.
It touches on parental relationships, religion, trauma and the role guilt plays in it all from a scientific and a personal viewpoint. If you are looking for a book that explores new idea's in social psychology an expands your horizons then give this a try.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was not what I expected. The first several chapters gave a long description of his personal experience with guilt.
I was hoping the book would provide useful tips on dealing with and reducing guilt
I received this galley for NetGalley
I was hoping the book would provide useful tips on dealing with and reducing guilt
I received this galley for NetGalley
January 2, 2026
I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
I found this book to be very helpful for my clients who are struggling with guilt, stemming from trauma or collective guilt due to the treatment of minorities throughout history and present day.
I found this book to be very helpful for my clients who are struggling with guilt, stemming from trauma or collective guilt due to the treatment of minorities throughout history and present day.
February 18, 2026
Really rated this book; sensitive and powerfully written, it helps to rationalise an emotion which too often becomes buried under layers of shame. The personal experiences Chris draws on to illustrate his thesis feels like a personal connection with the author .
January 28, 2026
Intimately and sensitively written and of interest to anyone wanting to know more about this complex emotion. The author's fascinating experiences interweave with solid academic research.
January 13, 2026
Such a powerful and deeply personal insight to one of the most misunderstood human emotions.
Not just a self-help book, but a gateway into the psychological perspective.
I learned something new each chapter!
Not just a self-help book, but a gateway into the psychological perspective.
I learned something new each chapter!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews