{{Short description|Hatred of oneself}} {{Expert needed|1=Psychology|reason=Article needs significant revision, analysis, and sourcing|date=April 2024}} '''Self-hatred''' is a state of personal self-loathing or low self-esteem.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2013-09-20 |title=I Hate Myself |url=https://www.psychalive.org/i-hate-myself/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=PsychAlive |language=en-US}}</ref>
==In psychology and psychiatry== The term "self-hatred" is used infrequently by psychologists and psychiatrists, who would usually describe people who hate themselves as "people with low self-esteem".<ref name=":1" /> Self-hatred, self-guilt, and shame are important factors in some or many mental disorders, especially disorders that involve a perceived defect of oneself (e.g. body dysmorphic disorder). Self-hatred is also a symptom of many personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (BPD),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/borderline-personality-disorder-symptoms|title=Borderline Personality Disorder - Symptoms|publisher=WebMD|access-date=17 June 2012}}</ref> as well as mood disorders like depression. It can also be linked to guilt for someone's own actions that they view as wrongful, e.g., survivor guilt.
==In social groups== Self-hatred among members of specific ethnic, gender, or religious groups has been understood as a result of the internalization of negative attitudes toward those groups within dominant cultures.
=== Ethnic groups === {{Excerpt|Internalized racism|paragraphs=1}}
=== Women === {{Excerpt|Internalized sexism|paragraphs=1}}
=== Jews === {{main|Self-hating Jew}}
Theodor Lessing, in his book, ''Jewish Self-Hatred'' (1930), identified this as a pathology, “a manifestation of an over identification with the dominant culture and internalization of its prejudices.” Some scholars have suggested that mental illness among Jewish people may be linked to feelings of inferiority and self-hatred resulting from persecution and social conditions.
The term has been used to label American Jews accused of hiding their identity “by converting or intermarrying and raising their children in another faith” to overcome sociopolitical barriers due to antisemitism in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alperin |first1=Richard M. |title=Jewish Self-Hatred: The Internalization of Prejudice |journal=Clinical Social Work Journal |date=September 2016 |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=221–230 |doi=10.1007/s10615-016-0577-2 |s2cid=147008248 }}</ref>
=== LGBTQ+ individuals === {{main|Internalized homophobia|}}
Internalized homophobia refers to negative stereotypes, beliefs, stigma, and prejudice about homosexuality and LGBTQ people that a person with same-sex attraction turns inward on themselves, whether or not they identify as LGBTQ.<ref name="Herek 2004">{{cite journal|last=Herek|first=Gregory M.|date=April 2004|title=Beyond 'Homophobia': Thinking About Sexual Prejudice and Stigma in the Twenty-First Century|url=http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/Herek_2004_SRSP.pdf|journal=Sexuality Research and Social Policy|volume=1|issue=2|pages=6–24|doi=10.1525/srsp.2004.1.2.6|s2cid=145788359}}</ref><ref name="Herek1998">{{cite journal|last1=Herek|first1=Gregory M.|last2=Cogan|first2=Jeanine C.|last3=Gillis|first3=J. Roy|last4=Glunt|first4=Eric K.|year=1997|title=Correlates of Internalized Homophobia in a Community Sample of Lesbians and Gay Men|journal=Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association|volume=2|issue=1|pages=17–25|citeseerx=10.1.1.582.7247|oclc=206392016}}</ref><ref name="pmid10788206">{{cite journal|last1=Williamson|first1=I. R.|date=1 February 2000|title=Internalized homophobia and health issues affecting lesbians and gay men|journal=Health Education Research|volume=15|issue=1|pages=97–107|doi=10.1093/her/15.1.97|pmid=10788206|doi-access=free}}</ref> This is often linked with personal identity and cultural and religious beliefs. These aspects can produce feelings of guilt, self rejection, and shame. The people that experience internalized homophobia might try to repress or even deny their identity and try to alter themselves to adhere to heteronormative expectations.
==Related concepts==
=== Self-deprecation === {{main|Self-deprecation}}
Self-deprecation is the act of belittling, undervaluing, or disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest.<ref name="dictionary">{{Cite web |title=Self-Deprecation |url=https://personalityspirituality.net/articles/the-michael-teachings/chief-features/self-deprecation/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Personality & Spirituality |date=8 September 2013 |language=en-GB}}</ref> It is often used as a form of humor and tension release,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sietar.org.uk/publications/articles/55-the-funny-thing-about-work|title=The Funny Thing About Work|last=Hill|first=Matthew|publisher=Society for Intercultural Training and Research|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120031057/http://www.sietar.org.uk/publications/articles/55-the-funny-thing-about-work|archive-date=2012-01-20|access-date=2011-05-04}}</ref> but it also simultaneously normalizes self-hatred.
=== Self-harm === {{main|Self-harm}}
{{See also|Mortification of the flesh|Self-flagellation}}
Self-harm is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals feel compelled to physically injure themselves (for example, cutting, burning or hitting oneself) as an outlet for self-hatred, anxiety, or anger. It is also associated with various psychological disorders.<ref name="Gindhu05">{{cite journal |last1=Laye-Gindhu |first1=Aviva |last2=Schonert-Reichl |first2=Kimberly A. |title=Nonsuicidal Self-Harm Among Community Adolescents: Understanding the 'Whats' and 'Whys' of Self-Harm |journal=Journal of Youth and Adolescence |date=October 2005 |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=447–457 |doi=10.1007/s10964-005-7262-z |s2cid=145689088 }}</ref><ref name="Klonsky07">{{citation |author=Klonsky, D. |year=2007 |title=The functions of deliberate self-injury: A review of the evidence |journal=Clinical Psychological Review |volume=27 |pages=226–239 |doi=10.1016/j.cpr.2006.08.002 |pmid=17014942 |issue=2|s2cid=1321836 }}</ref><ref name="Muehlenkamp05">{{cite journal |last1=Muehlenkamp |first1=Jennifer J. |title=Self-Injurious Behavior as a Separate Clinical Syndrome. |journal=American Journal of Orthopsychiatry |date=2005 |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=324–333 |doi=10.1037/0002-9432.75.2.324 |pmid=15839768 |citeseerx=10.1.1.874.2944 }}</ref>
In some cases, self-harm can lead to accidental death or suicide due to its self-destructive nature. However, it is not a definitive indicator of either the desire to attempt suicide or even suicidal ideation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201210/understanding-suicide-and-self-harm|title=Understanding Suicide and Self-harm|website=Psychology Today|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> For this reason, self-harm is sometimes also called non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). NSSI also has risk factors like experiencing abuse or trauma, age, and sexual orientation. People who experience abuse or trauma may commit NSSI so they can feel like they are in control of a situation. Individuals who are teenagers/young adults are more likely to start committing NSSI. Lastly, people who identify themselves within the LGBTQ+ community may do NSSI on themselves because they often experience social rejection. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Cleveland Clinic |date=May 9, 2023 |title=Self-Harm (Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder) |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12201-self-harm |access-date=April 21, 2026 |website=Cleveland Clinic}}</ref>
==See also==
*{{annotated link|Anti-Germans (political current)}} *{{annotated link|Anti-Japaneseism}} *{{annotated link|Mongrel complex}} *{{annotated link|Internalized oppression}} *{{annotated link|White guilt}} *{{annotated link|Internalized ableism}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * Sander L. Gilman ''Difference and Pathology: Stereotypes of Sexuality, Race and Madness'' Cornell University Press, 1985. {{ISBN|978-0-8014-1785-6}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Self-Hatred}} Category:Ego psychology Category:Hatred Category:Borderline personality disorder Category:Self Category:Self-hatred