心理學家認為這兩種心態都是屬於情緒上的反應,而兩者的不同之處,學者Lewis分辨羞恥感是令人集中於自我的內在及存在,而內疚感是使人集中在對外的行為[5]。近期學者Tignor & Colvin也是這樣形容的:“Someone who feels guilty regrets some behavior they exhibited, while someone who feels shame regrets some aspect of who they are as a person.” [6] 而學者們Zhang et al. 也認為內疚感有正面的作用,可成為個人道德提昇的中介力量,能促使人內省和對外扮演親社會的角色。這與佛教的解釋有點相似,但就沒有涉及生命的淨化和永離生老病死的理念。[7]
[2] 《大方等大集經菩薩念佛三昧分》卷八〈13 神通品〉(CBETA, T13, no. 415, p. 861, b2)
[3] 《大般涅槃經》卷十九〈8 梵行品〉(CBETA, T12, no. 374, p. 477, b26-c1)
[4] 《成唯識論》卷六 (CBETA, T31, no. 1585, p. 29, c13-19)
[5] Lewis, H. B. (1971). Shame and guilt in neurosis. Psychoanalytic Review, 58(3), 419-438.
[6] Tignor, S. M., & Colvin, C. R. (2016). The interpersonal adaptiveness of dispositional guilt and shame: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Personality, 85(3), 341–363.
[7] Zhang H, Chen S, Wang R, Jiang J, Xu Y and Zhao H (2017) How Upward Moral Comparison Influences Prosocial Behavioral Intention: Examining the Mediating Role of Guilt and the Moderating Role of Moral Identity. Front. Psychol. 8:1554.