I haven’t tried to figure out my answer.
But I just read (again, after many years) an article by John Coblentz. He begins….
A wounded spirit is one that is hurting, but one in which the hurt has festered into unbearable attitudes and responses. A person with a wounded spirit lives in inner misery that focuses regularly on his injuries.
Then he proceeds to flesh out briefly two short outlines which itemize some characteristics of a wounded spirit and a broken spirit.
According to Coblentz, a wounded spirit lives out:
- A negative mind-set.
- Victim reasoning.
- Grievance mannerisms.
- Blame tactics.
In contrast to that, he looks in Psalm 51 and finds these characteristics associated with brokenness:
- Acknowledgment of wrong.
- Contrition.
- Humility.
- Seeking after God.
- Teachability.
- Unworthiness.
Do read the full article: Wounded or Broken? — it’s relatively short…and beneficial.