When trying to make up for mistakes, we become vulnerable to new forms of manipulation. In looking for immediate solutions, we tend to choose flawed solutions that are easy to hand.
To releive tension between the faulty self and the our cultivated self-image we attempt to correct our error quickly, or if impossible to correct we mus tflee the old self and remake our self-image in a way that accounts for our past errors.
For example, recognizing our past anger or controlling behavior can make us overcompensate by becoming too lenient and allowing others to take advantage of us, declaring we deserve it or it is karma. Alternately, we may become too rigid (and brittle) in an attempt to regain control, isolating ourselves from that frivolous self. These repressions can be a means to punish the self, even creating opportunities for abuse from others, to attone for previous mistakes.