Signs of Acting Guilty

People may act guilty for a variety of reasons. The person may be your child, spouse or sibling. There are some tell-tale signs that a person may be acting guilty around you. However, many signs can be confused with something else such as stress from work or school, or even pressure from friends or family members. Sometimes people appear guilty when they are really struggling with something else entirely. Watch for signs of guilt but don’t assume that one sign or two is a definite admission of guilt.

People often show signs of guilt by avoiding the person whom they have wronged. Your child may start avoiding you at home or your spouse may start working long hours at the office and then going out with friends. While these are not definite signs of guilt, an excessive distancing shows that there is a definite problem. While sometimes people do get caught up with work and school, that ends at some point. If you find that this type of behavior is going on nearly everyday for a while, you may have a reason to be suspicious.

Guilty people are often overly angry or emotional when confronted. Usually, admissions or guilt arise in the form of quick denial. Most guilty people are not shocked to be caught, but are embarrassed so they are quick to deny and get angry. The anger is generally intended for the accuser, in order to make the accuser feel bad for second guessing the guilty. The anger is often followed by a series of excuses that are explained to throw the accuser off. Usually, when it comes to relationships, the excuses also make the accuser feel guilty, or are at least intended to.

Body language may also be a sign of guilt. Some people may fidget when confronted or may shows signs of a flushed face. Avoiding eye contact may be another form of guilt. However, body language signs are usually coupled with other signs. Some people get nervous during confrontation regardless if they are guilty of something or not.

Someone may also be very nervous and even suffer from sleeplessness when she feels guilty. Guilt affects some people more so than others. And different types of guilt manifest signs in various ways. Guilt can cause depression and even overactive anxiety. Others may suffer from a loss of appetite or, may eat excessively depending on the individual personality traits.