This exercise of personal freedom and realization of one's uniqueness gives rise to considerable existential guilt. Again, it is to be remembered that existential guilt is an inescapable aspect of life. It would be incorrect to label this guilt sick or bad. The transvestite and transsexual may also experience guilt which is the result of assimilated social images of what it means to be a man or a woman. The biological male who is indoctrinated to be ruggedly masculine may initially find his masculine persona highly critical of his feminine persona.
Guilt is the result.
While this guilt is not unhealthy, it can become unhealthy if repressed. A constructive response to this identity conflict would be found in openness to the conflict and a deeper understanding of the dynamics of personal and social identity. An understanding of the relationship between social identity and inner experience is helpful in understanding the dynamics of guilt. The process of socialization, which begins in infancy, finds the individual developing an identity which is an accommodation with his or her environment. In order to be accepted and to gain the security of social connectedness, each individual assimilates a social identity.