P.S. Greenspan uses the treatment of moral dilemmas as the basis for an alternative view of the structure of ethics and its relation to human psychology. Greenspan argues that dilemmas may be regarded as possible consequences of a set of social rules designed to be simple enough to be teachable. Where these rules prohibit action either way, the problematic motivational force of dilemmas can be explained by reference to the role of emotion as a substitute for action. Guilt is seen as a natural but contested candidate for the sort of emotional sanction for wrongdoing that might supply motivational force in dilemmas. It functions as a way of preserving virtue against moral luck. Greenspan defends guilt in the face of dilemmas on the basis of a "nonjudgmentalist" account of emotions that accepts guilt as appropriate even in some cases of unavoidable wrongdoing. In its treatment of the role of emotion in ethics the argument of the book outlines a new way of packing motivational force into moral meaning that allows for a socially based version of moral realism. Since, on the proposed account, emotions underpin the teaching of moral language, human emotional capacities impose constraints on the nature of a viable moral code and thus affect the content of morality.

The author uses the treatment of moral dilemmas as the basis for an alternative view of the structure of ethics and its relation to human psychology. In its treatment of the role of emotion in ethics the argument of the book outlines a new way of packing motivational force into moral meaning that allows for a socially based version of moral realism.

Transcendental Guilt challenges traditional ways of understanding moral philosophy by proposing, instead of mainstream ethical theorizing, a serious moral reflection on our ethical finitude, focusing on the concept of guilt. It argues that guilt plays a 'transcendental' role in our ethical lives by being constitutive of the seriousness characteristic of the moral point of view.

How do the temporal and dynamic patterns of media forms and practices create complex constructions of meaning, identity and value? How can we describe the way cinematic images generate and transform the affectively grounded structures that survey, confirm or revise a political community’s horizon of values? Using the exemplary case of feelings of guilt, the author develops an approach that makes patterns of audiovisual compositions intelligible as aesthetic modulations of moral feelings. A sense of guilt is presented here as neither an individualistic psychological emotion nor an external social mechanism of control but as a paradigmatic case for understanding politics and history as based upon embodied affectivity and shared relations to the world. By taking three distinct examples – German Post-War cinema, Hollywood Western and films on climate change – patterns of audiovisual composition and the inherent calculation of affect are analyzed as practices shaping the conditions of possibility of political communities and their historicity.

Philosophers and psychologists come together to think systematically about the nature and value of guilt, looking at the biological origins and psychological nature of guilt, and then discussing the culturally enriched conceptions of this vital moral emotion.

Explore the causes and effects of the shame/guilt/addiction cycle! Since the original edition in 1989, great strides have been made in understanding the overlapping functions of shame and guilt and the ways these painful emotions are linked with addictions. Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism: Treatment Issues in Clinical Practice, Second Edition, integrates up-to-date psychological research with penetrating insight into the emotional realities of substance abuse. It provides a clear and practical model for understanding the shame/guilt/addiction cycle. Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism provides constructive suggestions to therapists for treating substance-abusing clients and their affected family members. By treating destructive, inappropriate, or excessive shame and guilt, therapists can help their clients free themselves from the downward spiral of addiction and begin to build on their genuine strengths. It explores the positive functions of shame and guilt, describes the conscious and subconscious defense mechanisms against them, and highlights the crucial family behaviors that initiate and encourage shame and guilt. Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism thoroughly explains the significant differences between shame and guilt, including: clients’experiences of failure primary responses and feelings precipitating events and involvement of self origins and central fears Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism adds immeasurably to our understanding of the total recovery process. It is an essential resource for therapists, social workers, psychologists, substance-abuse counselors, and educators in the field.

The authors encourage parents to let go of unobtainable--and ill-advised--goals in favor of parenting philosophies that concentrate on the whole family. This eye-opening book presents the results of an original, never-before-published nationwide survey of over 1,300 parents.