Remorse vs. Regret

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Remorse and Regret is that the Remorse is a advanced emotion and Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviours.

  • Remorse

    Remorse is a distressing emotion experienced by a person who regrets actions which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment. When a person regrets an earlier action or failure to act, it may be because of remorse or in response to various other consequences, including being punished for the act or omission. People may express remorse through apologies, trying to repair the damage they’ve caused, or self-imposed punishments.

    In a legal context, the perceived remorse of an offender is assessed by Western justice systems during trials, sentencing, parole hearings, and in restorative justice. However, there are epistemological problems with assessing an offender’s level of remorse.A person who is incapable of feeling remorse is often diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, as characterized in the DSM IV-TR. In general, a person needs to be unable to feel fear, as well as remorse, in order to develop psychopathic traits. Legal and business professions such as insurance have done research on the expression of remorse via apologies, primarily because of the potential litigation and financial implications.

  • Regret

    Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to one’s personal decision-making, a choice resulting in action or inaction. Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decision, in regard to action versus inaction, and in regard to self-control at a particular age. The self-recrimination which comes with regret is thought to spur corrective action and adaptation. In Western societies adults have the highest regrets regarding choices of their education.

Wikipedia
  • Remorse (noun)

    A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning.

  • Remorse (noun)

    Sorrow; pity; compassion.

  • Regret (verb)

    To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead.

    “He regretted his words.”

  • Regret (verb)

    To feel sorry about (any thing).

    “I regret that I have to do this, but I don’t have a choice.”

  • Regret (noun)

    Emotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a looking back with dissatisfaction or with longing.

  • Regret (noun)

    Dislike; aversion.

Wiktionary
  • Remorse (noun)

    deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed

    “they were filled with remorse and shame”

  • Regret (verb)

    feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that one has done or failed to do)

    “she immediately regretted her words”

    “I always regretted that I never trained”

  • Regret (verb)

    used in polite formulas to express apology for or sadness over something undesirable

    “we regret that no tickets may be exchanged”

    “any inconvenience to readers is regretted”

  • Regret (verb)

    feel sorrow for the loss or absence of (something pleasant)

    “my home, when shall I cease to regret you!”

  • Regret (noun)

    a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over an occurrence or something that one has done or failed to do

    “he had to decline, to his regret”

    “she expressed her regret at Virginia’s death”

  • Regret (noun)

    used in polite formulas to express apology for or sadness at an occurrence or an inability to accept an invitation

    “please give your grandmother my regrets”

Oxford Dictionary

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