Shame-filled attachment believes that the best way to get close to God is to shame and blame ourselves for falling below the standard of perfection. We tell ourselves that if we could just be a little better, we could get close. But we can never transform quite enough, so if we can’t become adequately holy, we can at least punish ourselves for not being good enough. We end up trying to get close by proving to God that we know how bad and unlovable we are.
