'self-rejection' originates from the combination of 'self' and 'rejection', where 'self' refers to one's own person and 'rejection' means the act of refusing or dismissing something.

'self-rejection' combines the concept of 'self' from Old English 'self' and 'rejection' from Latin 'rejectio', eventually forming the modern English term.

Initially, it meant 'refusal of one's own qualities', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.