self-castigation

You will realise that he, like a true artist again, feels the need and the use of self-castigation.

Apart from that, if that was significant, this self-castigation probably served no purpose.

In his desire for self-castigation he lost sight of the pain he would inflict upon her.

The need for a certain amount of self-castigation is implanted in all of us, and it is satisfied in the form of confession.