Am I a Bad Person for Having Bad Thoughts?

"Perfectionism can be thought of as a preoccupation with harmony, where thoughts, feelings, and decisions are always aligned. Character, therefore, it's believed, should always be judged based on all three facets. A good person is pure, who doesn't even seriously consider acting unethically. This standard and drive for unity comprise moral perfectionism, or the belief in and fixation on self-purification. The individual becomes obsessed with metaphorically cleansing themselves of bad deeds and bad thoughts."

"In small doses, shame can and should be potent; however, its excessive use may betray its communal purpose. Fundamentally, shame shouldn't serve us as much as the broader community. Shame is mainly for others. The perfectionist may be implored to ask themself: How does shaming yourself for your thoughts affect others? Do they expect or even want perfection from you? While disdaining weakness, one's goal here is often to rise above one's circumstances, both internal and ext"

Moral perfectionism is a drive for complete internal harmony, requiring alignment among thoughts, feelings, and actions and defining goodness as purity of character that excludes serious ethical doubt. Perfectionists focus intensely on perceived moral details and often ruminate over minor or ambiguous matters. Sensitivity can reveal meaningful issues, but excessive rumination converts scrutiny into obsessive shame used to silence unwelcome thoughts. Shame, intended as a social corrective, becomes self-directed and burdens interpersonal life when overapplied. Perfectionists may fear their own negative thoughts and avoid admitting ambivalence. Trusting others requires accepting ambivalence as noncatastrophic and loosening demands for inner unity.

Read at Psychology Today