As someone raised with a lot of Catholic guilt there is much in this I identify with. Self-esteem and self-confidence were equated with self-aggrandizement and therefore an affront to God. Only through self-basement and serving others can we be worthy of God's love. Combine that with the guilt ridden teachings about sex as sin and you have a recipe for self hatred. It takes a long time to deal with the after affects of being raised in such an environment.