PARTISAN REVIEW
521
emphasizes, a fear of disapproval. But the only sentence that I could
find in her article on the subject of real guilt was just one line to the
effect that, of course, it is difficult to acknowledge that one has done
something shameful. Everyone knows that. And then on to neurotic
guilt feelings.
My point of view, and I'll try to make it as explicit as possible,
is that guilt is indeed a part of the human condition, and that real
guilt occurs over and over again and is responsible for many mani–
festations that sometimes are difficult to track down . In other words,
a person may have what seems to be neurotic guilt feelings, and may
be extremely apologetic about himself, or he may be difficult about
the failings of others, and yet, there can be real guilt lying underneath
which is not acknowledged. Buber says, "What I call existential guilt
is only an intensification of what is found in some measure wherever
an authentic guilt feeling burns." He points out that traditional psycho–
analytic method does not willingly concern itself with authentic guilt,
being more naturally drawn to "repressed childhood wishes" and "youth–
ful lusts gone astray." "And for the patient it is a great relief to be
diverted from his authentic guilt feelings to an unambiguous neurotic
one that, favored by the school of his doctor, allows itself to be dis–
covered in the microcosmos of his dreams or in the stream of his free
associations." However, he declares, "to all this the gen uine doctor of
souls stands opposed ." Without desisting from hi s methods, he never–
theless "becomes aware of a reality between man and man, between
man and the world ; he recognizes that the goal of healing has been
transformed, that all he is obliged to do becomes more difficult. much
more difficult - and all becomes more real. radically real."
As I gradually creep up on the notion of collective guilt, my view
is that real guilt, as distinguished from guilt feelings, is a personal thing.
Its mode of discourse, to quote Heidegge r here, is very apt to be one
of silence. A person looking into his own real guilt is not
much
given
to ordinary and uplifting chatter. Guilt feelings are the most bevvilder–
ing of all feelings, not merely persona lly, but, I think, to other people.
I tend to believe th a t everyone has sufficient rea l guilt in him a t all
times, and also has a surfeit of guilt feelings which are easily appealed
to. He stands ready to say "I am guilty" almost before the accusation
is made. And, as a ma tter of fact , as Buber has mentioned, the more
general the terms are for the acc usa tion, the more readily is he apt
to agree to anything specific to which he can attach these guilt feel–
ings. But what is he to do about rea l guilt which, as I've already said.
I think to be of a personal nature, even a private nature?
Buber suggests, and here I ma y be coming close to something
that Bob has talked about, that for real g'uilt, illumination. \\'hich is
certainly opposed by the guilty person. is necessa ry, as is perse\'er–
ance - namely, the examination of rea l guilt does not yield very easily
to illumination. There's nothing about it th a t is a gi\'en, One doesn't
linger over a specific memory of an injury that one has committed.
Far from that. What is necessary is a courageous act of imagination
about a transgression in order to try to penetrate into the actuality of
the Injury that one has committed . Should the real guilt be illuminated
