Guilt trip

For other uses, see Guilt trip (disambiguation).

A guilt trip is the experience of guilt due to another person's communication that leads to the emotional response. Guilt tripping, causing a guilt trip, is a form of emotional blackmail^[1] that is often intended to manipulate a person by preying on their feelings of guilt or responsibility. It is considered by many to be a toxic behavior that effects a person's well-being and relationships.

There are limited studies examining the guilt trip; mostly focused on parent–child relationships.^[2] George K. Simon interprets the guilt trip as a special kind of intimidation tactic. A manipulator suggests to the conscientious victim that they do not care enough, are too selfish or has it easy. This usually results in the victim feeling bad, keeping them in a self-doubting, anxious and submissive position.^[3] Some consider guilt tripping a person to be a form of punishment for a perceived transgression.^[4]

See also

• Codependency
• Destabilisation
• Emotional blackmail
• Gaslighting
• Guiltive
• Mind games
• Presumption of guilt