Harmony vs. Honesty: The Guilt–Repair Paradox
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-AbstractWhile guilt is traditionally characterized as a moral emotion that motivates individuals to repair damaged social bonds, this paper investigates conditions under which this reparative impulse comes into tension with the ethical demand for honesty. We conceptualize Short-Term Relational Focus (STRF) as a multi-level phenomenon encompassing evolutionary pressures for social cohesion, psychological mechanisms of ego-protection, and ethical tensions between immediate harmony and long-term integrity and epistemic clarity.Drawing on experimental evidence (Li & Jain, 2021), organizational observations, and philosophical perspectives from Kant, Nietzsche, and Aristotle, the paper develops a bidirectional framework for understanding social repair. This framework examines the Guilt–Honesty Paradox from both the sender’s and the receiver’s perspective, highlighting how attempts at relational repair may unintentionally undermine trust, learning, and accountability. The paper further outlines practical strategies—supported by case illustrations, tables, and applied examples across organizational, educational, healthcare, and digital contexts—for reconciling concern for relationships with commitments to truthfulness.Keywords: Guilt; Honesty; Social Repair; Moral Emotions; Temporal Narrowing; Trust; Ethical Decision-Making
