In the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis, it is mentioned that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and realized their nakedness and did not did not dare to face God and hid from Him. Did Adam and Eve feel guilty for their disobedience or were they ashamed of their nudity? Guilt and shame are such closely related words. Both words express our sorrow over situations or towards people. However, these two words are different in many ways. Guilt occurs when we feel bad about our actions, while shame occurs when we feel bad about ourselves. This essay will focus on the topic of guilt and different types of guilt. Guilt is the fact of having committed a specific offense or crime; or the feeling of having committed a fault or of having failed to fulfill an obligation. (Oxford) There are different types of guilt that we experience in different situations in our lives; “essential guilt,” “self-generated guilt,” and “borrowed guilt.” The first type of guilt is “essential guilt,” which occurs when we disobey a commonly accepted code of conduct; like the laws created by the government that regulate society. It is linked to illegal or immoral acts. Such guilt prevents people from breaking the rules that maintain the structure of our society and contribute to the survival of the human race. An example of someone experiencing “essential guilt” is Marmolejo, a 16-year-old student who stabbed his principal, Suzette York, to death (Tenn, 2013). He apologized and pleaded guilty after the incident, expressing repentance for the incident. The essential guilt that Marmolejo faced led him to make amendments and reforms. However, the world has transformed and people are less affected by “essential guilt”. Serial killer Robert Pickton, who was convicted of six counts of murder... middle of paper ... All classes can feel guilty about their relationship. Even if such relationships are legal, they go against people's expectations in this culture. To deal with “imposed guilt,” it is important that we think critically about whether the guilt imposed on us is necessary and beneficial for us. In conclusion, as humans we experience different forms of guilt. The “essential guilt” that prevents us from breaking the law; the “self-generated guilt” that occurs when we fail to meet the expectations we set for ourselves; and “imposed guilt” which is based on others’ expectations of us. Some of them benefit us by preventing us from doing evil, while others prevent us from doing things that may not be evil but are unconventional. It is important to differentiate between types of guilt to understand the cause of the certain guilt we feel and to manage any unnecessary guilt..