Blame

Blame is the assignment of fault or responsibility to someone for a harmful, wrongful, or unwanted action or outcome. It can express moral judgment, causal attribution, or both.

Causal attribution: The process of inferring causes for events and actions. Blame often begins by deciding whether someone’s conduct caused the unwanted outcome.
Culpability: The degree to which someone deserves blame for wrongdoing. Culpability measures blameworthiness, while blame is the judgment that assigns fault.
Criminal law: The body of law defining crimes and prescribing their punishment. Criminal proceedings formalize judgments about fault, mental state, and accountability.
Accountability: The obligation to explain conduct and answer for its consequences. Blame can demand an account, while accountability adds duties to respond or repair.
Intentionality: The quality of an action performed with an aim or purpose. Judgments of blame commonly turn on whether harm was intended or foreseeable.
Shame: A painful sense that the self is flawed, exposed, or unworthy. Blame targets an agent’s conduct or responsibility; shame can condemn the whole self.
Tort law: The area of law governing civil wrongs and remedies for resulting harm. Tort cases allocate responsibility for injury and may require compensation.
Punishment: The imposition of a penalty in response to an offense or rule violation. Blame often supports punishment by treating an agent as deserving consequences.
Moral responsibility: The status of being answerable for actions under moral standards. Blame assigns responsibility when conduct is judged morally answerable.
Guilt (emotion): A distressing feeling that one has committed a wrong or caused harm. Blame is an attribution made by someone; guilt is one possible response to it.

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