the phenomenon of guilt

by Joanna Galvin, Ph.D.

For many transvestites and transsexuals one of the more challenging obstacles on the road to self-acceptance and healthy self expression is the emotion of guilt. More has been written about guilt than about any other emotion. Guilt forms the core of our culture’s Judaeo-Christian world view; it is the corner stone of every criminal judicial system and the shady side of every moral theory of duty and obligation; and it is the key to a great number of neurotic syndromes. Psychologists have given guilt considerable attention, and I cannot pretend to do this emotion justice in this brief article. Nevertheless, I can outline some of the characteristics of guilt and reflect upon this phenomenon as it may relate to transvestism and transsexuality.

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