selfblame

Self-blame is the psychological tendency to attribute negative outcomes or events to one’s own actions, character, or failings. It is a cognitive and emotional response that can occur in ordinary life as well as after illness, injury, loss, or trauma. While some degree of self-reflection and responsibility can be adaptive, excessive self-blame is not synonymous with accountability and can become maladaptive.

Adaptive self-blame, or constructive self-criticism, involves recognizing one’s role in a situation to learn and change future behavior. Maladaptive self-blame, by contrast, is excessive, global, and persistent; it often involves rumination and a sense of being inherently defective, and it tends to persist beyond what is warranted by the circumstances.

Causes include cognitive biases (e.g., overgeneralization, personalization), emotional factors such as shame, and social or cultural expectations that equate morality with harsh self-judgment. It can be reinforced after trauma or chronic stress when external explanations are limited or when others reinforce blame toward the self.

Consequences include increased risk of depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, sleep disturbance, and social withdrawal. It can also hinder problem solving and recovery by narrowing perceived options and reducing self-efficacy. Clinicians assess self-blame through interviews and self-report measures and distinguish between accurate accountability and distorted self-blame.

Treatment focuses on reducing maladaptive self-blame and increasing adaptive self-evaluation. Approaches include cognitive-behavioral techniques to reframe attributions, behavioral experiments, and relapse prevention; mindfulness and self-compassion practices; and trauma-focused therapies when relevant. Cultural context and individual differences influence the meaning and impact of self-blame, and care emphasizes nonjudgmental awareness and self-kindness.