The next “heavy” area of negativity is guilt. Here the underlying purpose is to placate, to assuage, to escape punishment by self-punishment, and to elicit forgiveness. The most important of these is the wish to elicit punishment from another person, combined with self-punishment. This is not a conscious wish; nevertheless, it is the unconscious purpose of guilt. With a little investigation, this can easily be verified. The next time we are feeling guilty about something particular regarding another person, watch what happens in the next encounter. Almost inevitably, they will bring up the
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