Examining changes in the perception of emotions of envy and shame over more than two millennia, B. Kilborn writes that, while Aristotle's concepts of misstep and catharsis form the essence of tragedy, the early Christian period shows basic shifts in the assessment of emotions, tragedy and trauma. Evil was no longer perceived as a manifestation of human oversight, but began to associate with evil will and evil deliberate action. As a result, human suffering has taken on the hue of temptation - induced sin and has become a deserved punishment. Over the centuries, Western tradition began to emphasize not weakness and temptation, but rather strength and cruelty. Founder of psychoanalysis 3. Freud, according to the American researcher, adhered to the prevailing cultural values ​ ​ when highlighting guilt and aggression in his characterization of the Oedipus complex. The book of the famous American psychoanalyst, on which he worked for over 20 years, has not previously been published and is first published in Russian. It is addressed to a wide range of readers.