survivor guilt

Guilt, when dispensed in the circumstances Morris occupied, is the anti-Viagra.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Instead of lights and gifts, this one is filled with broken promises and guilt.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Cocker proved to be a survivor, bringing his passionate persona to concert halls around the world decade after decade.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police then lied to Henry by telling him that if he admitted his guilt, he could go home.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Although often this is considered proof positive of guilt at trial, it is not an uncommon occurrence in false confessions.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No guilt was charged against any one, although the wounded man said that he conjectured that it was Captain Silvestre de Aybar.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
This way of owning Guilt in a wrong Place, is a common Artifice to hide it in a right one.
A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope|Colley Cibber
So the evidence of his guilt was no longer in the hands of a stranger, and Sir Richard Arden was saved.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Despite his own grief, he is sorry for the young man; nor is he convinced in his shrewd bourgeois mind of the latter's guilt.
Uncanny Tales|Various
If ever a pretty woman's smile was devilish, Lucy Warrender's was, as she insisted on this partnership in her guilt.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills

Cultural definitions for survivor guilt

survivor guilt

A deep sense of guilt, combined often with feelings of numbness and loss of interest in life, felt by those who have survived some catastrophe. It was first noticed among survivors of the Holocaust. Survivors often feel that they did not do enough to save those who died or that they are unworthy relative to the perished.