self-punishment
Internally imposed atonement
Self-punishment is the act of inflicting pain, deprivation, or hardship on oneself as penance for perceived wrongdoing.
It ranges from mild self-denial to severe physical harm.
Religious contexts include fasting and flagellation.
Psychologically, it often stems from guilt or shame: She recognized her overwork as a form of self-punishment for leaving her family.
Intense shame or embarrassment
- flagellationBeating with a whip
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
- hairshirtGarment worn for penance
- sackclothCoarse fabric for penance
scourging · confession · contrition · repentance · penitence · asceticism · prostration · vigil
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- expiationRedress for offense
- reparationCompensation for injury done
- amendsCompensation for wrongdoing
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
absolution · sacrifice · purification · reconciliation · reform · restitution · cleansing · propitiation
Painful awareness of failure
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- unworthinessLack of merit
- inner criticHarsh internal self-judgment
Pleasure derived from suffering
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- shame spiralRecursive self-condemnation pattern
Control over impulses
- willpowerMental strength resisting impulse
- deprivationState of lacking necessities
- withholdingKeeping from another
- forgoingVoluntarily doing without
strictness · austerity · spartan · abstention
mortification
Intense shame or embarrassment
- flagellationBeating with a whip
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
- hairshirtGarment worn for penance
sackcloth · scourging · confession · contrition · repentance · penitence · asceticism · prostration · vigil · abstinence
penance
Self-mortification for wrongdoing
- expiationRedress for offense
- reparationCompensation for injury done
- amendsCompensation for wrongdoing
redemption · absolution · sacrifice · purification · reconciliation · reform · restitution · cleansing · propitiation · making amends
shame
Painful awareness of failure
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- unworthinessLack of merit
- inner criticHarsh internal self-judgment
masochism
Pleasure derived from suffering
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
- shame spiralRecursive self-condemnation pattern
restraint
Control over impulses
- willpowerMental strength resisting impulse
- deprivationState of lacking necessities
- withholdingKeeping from another
forgoing · strictness · austerity · spartan · abstention
- Penanceconfession booth, act of contrition, contrition, penitent, public penance
- self-loathinginner critic, worthlessness, unworthiness, toxic shame, beating yourself up
- harmful copingsubstance abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, binge drinking, overeating
- abstinencesobriety, celibacy, chastity, teetotalism, fasting
- guiltguilty, guilt trip, guilty conscience, remorseful, contrition
- guilt reactionsremorse, regret, contrition, apology, confession
self-punishmentself-care
Maintaining personal wellbeing
self-compassion · self-love · self-indulgence · self-kindness · self-soothing
self-punishmentself-forgiveness
Granting yourself absolution
self-pardon · self-compassion · letting go · self-acceptance · moving on
self-punishmentself-acceptance
Approval of oneself
self-esteem · self-affirmation · self-respect · self-validation · self-pride
self, punish, selfish, penalty, punishment, punished, punishing, punitive, impunity