I'm writing something about Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes From Underground about how we sometimes revel in suffering. I want to then add
… much of which is not only self-inflicted, but also self-imposed.
Meaning that not only do we hurt ourselves, we do it on purpose.
Is that correct? That was my first intuition when writing that sentence, but I'm not confident in that.
What is the difference between self-imposed and self-inflicted?
Best Answer
The only significant difference is that self-inflicted implies a physical injury, whereas self-imposed implies only hardship. Both are invited.
self-imposed: imposed by oneself on oneself; voluntarily assumed or endured; voluntary, of one's own free will or design; done by choice; not forced or compelled; e.g. self-imposed exile
self-inflicted: of a wound or other harm inflicted or imposed on oneself; of an injury having been inflicted on oneself by oneself: died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
You may need a more passive adjective to make the distinction. For instance, you might say that some sorrows are endured (they come from without but are tolerated and suffered by the victim) while others are encouraged or self-inflicted.