Guilt and Hostility in Depression

The presence and absence of the feelings of guilt and hostility in depression had been a matter of controversy in the cross-cultural literature. In the psychopathology of depression, these feelings have been considered playing a significant role. Redlich and Freedman (1966) reported that the feelings of guilt in depressive patients were found to be associated with shame as well as unworthiness over the past sins and failures. Murphy et al. (1967) related the guilt feelings in the European depressives to the Judo Christian emphasis on sin and guilt and to the internalized ideals of behaviour. Psychoanalytically oriented researchers have held that guilt is uncommon in non-westem cultures and hence depression is also uncommon. The paucity of guilt feeling in depression of African countries has been noticed by various workers thought that this variety of guilt feelings in depressives could be due to erroneous diagnosis. Commenting on the findings of various workers in African countries Yap (1965) remarked that there was a paucity and mildness of guilt and unworthiness expressed in such patients. In our country, there are only few reports on the symptoms of depressive patients. Ansari (1969) reported guilt feelings in 67.5% of his 40 depressed pa-compared 100 Indian depressive with depressed patients studied by Venkoba Rao (1966) and in two British studies and showed that the occurrence of guilt was statistically the same in all four studies. The nature of feelings of guilt observed in Indian patients was of impersonal character. Their feeling of unworthiness, self abasement, shame and guilt are handled by the mechanism of projection. Contrary to the earlier findings, Venkoba Rao (1978) found guilt feelings only in 8% of depressions. Regarding the other aspect, that is, hostility in depressives, the earlier classical formulation presented by Freud (1916) and Abraham (1911) pointed out that these feelings are reverted towards the self rather than object world in depressive illness. In such patients, the ability to express their hostile feelings outwardly has not been observed. In another formulation Rubin-fine (1968) stated that the warding off of the feelings of hostility in depressives helped them to preserve their original love object. Blaint (1952) considered the importance of depressives' feelings of bitterness and resentment, though these were not considered as the essential elements of depression. On the contrary, Buss (1961) had observed depressives readily expressing their resentment. Similar findings were reported by Weisman et al. (1960) in his study of …