self-chastisement
Punishing yourself mentally
Self-chastisement is the act of punishing or severely criticizing oneself, typically for perceived failures or moral lapses.
It goes beyond ordinary self-criticism to suggest something harsher—a kind of internal flogging: His self-chastisement after the accident bordered on obsessive.
The word carries religious overtones, echoing traditions of penance and mortification.
Guilt for wrongdoing
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- regretSorrow over past actions
- compunctionUneasiness from guilt
penitence · pangs · sorrow · culpability · mea culpa · conscience · mortification · anguish
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- expiationRedress for offense
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- amendsCompensation for wrongdoing
reparation · absolution · redemption · reconciliation · forgiveness · purification · reform · fasting
Probing one's innermost feelings
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- meditationFocused attention practice
Control over impulses
- rigorStrict, thorough precision
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
- temperanceHabitual moderation in behavior
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
remorse
Guilt for wrongdoing
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- regretSorrow over past actions
compunction · penitence · pangs · sorrow · culpability · mea culpa · conscience · mortification · anguish · ruefulness
penance
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- expiationRedress for offense
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
amends · reparation · absolution · redemption · reconciliation · forgiveness · purification · reform · fasting · austerity
soul-searching
Probing one's innermost feelings
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- meditationFocused attention practice
restraint
Control over impulses
- rigorStrict, thorough precision
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
- temperanceHabitual moderation in behavior
faultfinding
Seeking out imperfections
self-chastisementself-forgiveness
Granting yourself absolution
self-compassion · self-acceptance · self-love · self-kindness · self-praise
self-chastisementself-congratulation
Admiring one's own accomplishments
self-praise · self-glorification · self-admiration · self-satisfaction · self-affirmation
self, chastise, chastisement, chastised, chastising, chastiser, chaste, chastely, chasteness