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Casey Anthony - Remorse, Regret and Sorrow

Remorse, regret and sorrow are the three most important concepts necessary for a

society to flourish and function effectively. Without these three, people behave in

aggressive and selfish ways lacking concern for other people’s welfare. As the world

watches the Casey Anthony murder trial, many question whether she experiences any

of the three.

Remorse, Regret and Sorrow are three concepts vital to adaptive living. These

emotional states, when experienced genuinely, increase the probability of all

social interactions being successful. Ignorance and/or refusal of this

psychological triad lead to criminal and/or deviant behaviors with

victimization as the modus operandi.

Two diminutive words, “I’m Sorry,” is one of the most powerful and complex

phrases expressed in communication. As the world watches the Casey

Anthony murder trial, many question whether she experiences any of these

three affective states and misses the child she lost to homicide.

Since the beginning of civilization, this phrase has been part of all societal and

cultural exchanges verbalized via various languages. “I’m Sorry” will always

be integral to social relationships. The premise of this phrase concretely

illustrates how all people are fallible creatures. Actions and/or words can

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offend briefly or inflict a lifelong psychological scar devoid of healing. As

Casey Anthony sits in her jail cell, does she experience an internal need to

apologize to her loved ones and daughter?

The actual term, Sorry, dates back to prehistoric times and theorized to have

derived from the West Germanic term, Sairig, a derivative of Sairaz, with the

English source denoting Sore. The original definition meant both physical and

psychological pain. Over hundreds of years, the word evolved into an

expression of regret now coined, Sorry.

Despite the resemblance, the word Sorry has no etymological connection with

the term, Sorrow. This word also dates back to prehistoric Germanic language

meaning “care.” Contemporary German dialect uses the word, Sorge, meaning

to worry or feel sorrow.

The term, Sorry, is an adjective with a multitude of meanings defining

different communications expressed in social relationships. From a

reductionist standpoint, and adding the identifier, I am, makes the phrase a

form of apology an expression of regret and a symbol of personal

responsibility. The definition of apology is an expression of regret for causing

someone else trouble or pain.

The definition of regret means to feel remorseful or contrite about ones

actions. Remorse and regret are two emotions people have a difficult time

experiencing and admitting. Whether Casey Anthony committed murder or

was in congress with her father to hide Caylee Anthony’s body, does she start

her day and end her night experiencing remorse?

Remorse is another vital term to describe the phrase, “I’m Sorry.” Without the

experience of remorse, it is impossible to communicate regret sincerely for

ones misdeed. Remorse is defined as a sense of deep regret and guilt for

causing someone harm. Depending on the harm committed, severity of

remorse can range from subtle to severe. The societal purpose of remorse is

to educate a person about behaviors not acceptable in social interactions. It is

clear, watching the Anthony trial that her mother, Cindy Anthony, experiences

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tremendous remorse. Unfortunately, Casey Anthony has yet to shed a tear for

her daughter, but weeps for herself and her troubling predicament.

Without the experience of remorse, people cannot learn to change their

actions leading to a better lifestyle. Since the beginning of recorded history,

civilization has written poetry, music, songs and various other forms of

communication in an attempt to define and express the experience of

remorse. Without remorse for wrongdoings, society could not exist and

isolation would be central to human existence.

The human being is a social creature surviving and thriving within a group

dynamic. As part of this evolutionary structure, remorse and communication

of regret is both encouraged and necessary for survival of all people, Homo

sapiens. Casey Anthony sits every day watching her attorneys attempt to save

her from the potential of lethal injection. It must be a surreal experience for

her given a mere three years ago; she was walking through life feeling

untouchable and grandiose.

Given the vital purpose of remorse and regret to humanity, the term, “I’m

Sorry,” is sometimes confounded by suspicions of insincerity. A person’s

character and integrity is a barometer of sincerity and the impact of

communicating remorse is directly connected to the person’s intent. If

integrity is suspect, then attempts to apologize can easily be construed as

misguided without sincerity.

Character and integrity related to being genuinely remorseful is tied to past,

present, and future actions following misdeeds. Some are unforgivable while

most are accepted, provided specific actions are exhibited after a misdeed.

The products of actions following a misdeed are new learned behaviors

reducing the potential for repetition of the specific misdeeds.

An analogy to illustrate human fallibilities not addressed, changed, or

redirected would be the person who suffers from alcoholism. Although the

alcoholic is secretly aware his drinking causes pain and anguish to others, he

continues to drink using a variety of defense mechanisms such as denial,

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displacement and minimization. Engaged in the gradual demise of his

character, integrity, and trust by others, the alcoholic may go years before

experiencing remorse and abstaining from future alcohol consumption. The

process of recognition, remorse, regret, recovery and rehabilitation illustrates

the path all people should experience in the process of positive human

adaptation.

Without remorse or regret for actions deemed hurtful by others, the

probability for positive change is minuscule. Given the depths of the human

mind, there are copious defense mechanisms ready to protect someone from

feeling regret for their actions. The ability to say, “I’m Sorry,” and mean it

requires an internal reservoir called conscience.

Conscience is defined as a moral sense of right and wrong. This psychological

construct affects a person’s behavior and encourages functional behavior. The

question raised each day in the Casey Anthony trial, is whether she has a

conscience.

Introspection, thinking, awareness and self-awareness are all relevant facets

of the conscience. This construct is like a glass of water ranging from empty to

full. Most people’s reservoir of conscience ranges from ½ to ¾ filled. As

mentioned above, a part of the human condition is fallibility and a proclivity to

engage in non-functional behavior. The less conscience a person possesses,

the more apt he is to victimizing others.

The severest outcome of lacking a store of conscience would be the criminal,

deviant or sociopathic mind. Using the analogy of conscience being a glass of

water, if Casey Anthony did in fact murder her daughter, her glass would be

bone dry and devoid of a molecule of moisture.

The phrase, “I’m Sorry,” is one of the most important phrases involved in the

human experience. From the beginning of time and forever after, the process

of recognition, regret, remorse and rehabilitation will always be a barometer

for human adaptability. Laws, religions, philosophies and familial guidelines

for raising children require remorse, regret and sorrow to manage and reduce

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human suffering. Achieve an effective conscience with the five steps as

follows:

1. Expect others to become offended given the variability of perceptions

filtering all human interactions.

2. Whether innocent or guilty, when causing others harm, initiate an apology

followed by empathy for their experience.

3. Verbalize a plan for not offending in the future.

4. Introspect upon and initiate a paradigm shift, reducing the potential for

future offensive actions.

5. Never forget: always forgive and foster mutual respect.

As the Casey Anthony trial proceeds, the world will be presented with some

of the darkest aspects of the human psyche. The question is whether Casey

Anthony realizes she is at the center of this abyss.

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Author Biography: Dr. Michael Nuccitelli is a New York State licensed psychologist and

certified forensic consultant. He completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology in

1994 from the Adler School in Chicago, Illinois. In 2006, he received his Certified Forensic

Consultant designation from the American College of Forensic Examiners International

(ACFEI). Dr. Nuccitelli is a New York state resident residing 65 miles North of Manhattan.

Dr. Nuccitelli has many career and academic experiences. His areas of expertise include forensic/criminal psychology, human sexuality and psychiatric/psychological issues. He is an avid follower of national news and enjoys interfacing with the media. Dr. Nuccitelli can be reached via email at mailto:ipredatorteam@gmail.com or his forensics blog, Dark Psychology, at http://darkpsychology.co/

As of April 2011, Dr. Nuccitelli launched his theoretical model of the iPredator™ and actively endeavoring to raise public awareness about internet predators, cyberstalkers, cyberbullies, and child sexual predators.

Facebook: The iPredator

Tags: ipredator, dark psychology, sexual predator, criminal justice, child abuse, homicide, forensics, online predator.