soul search = profound analysis or scrutiny, often of oneself or resulting from answers deep within oneself

nit-pick = excessive criticism, finding faults in every possible detail

Hope this helps and good luck!

This is more or less the idea behind the phrase...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2005-05-13 21:09:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Main Entry: soul-searching Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation:
Function: noun
: anxious or conscientious deliberation : examination of one\'s conscience especially with regard to deeper motives and values : SELF-ANALYSIS <could never dismiss any suggestion however fantastic without hours of soul-searching -- Christopher Isherwood>

Main Entry: nit-picking Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation:
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: 1nit + picking, gerund of 1pick
: minute and usually petty criticism
- nit·pick \\ \\ noun
- nit·picky \\-, -i\\ adjective

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2005-05-13 21:15:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The idea is that ever present guilty feeling all women seem to have (I, for one, have not been able to shake it off after 34 years of life on this planet :P), by which we are constantly criticizing ourselves, examining our actions, practically breaking them apart into tiny pieces, to determine if they are right or wrong.

Obviously, that is not healthy at all ;)

soul-search·ing (slsûrchng)
n.
A penetrating examination of one's motives, convictions, and attitudes.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. soul-searching - a penetrating examination of your own beliefs and motives
self-analysis
introspection, self-contemplation, self-examination - the contemplation of your own thoughts and desires and conduct

Examples from classic literature: More
But when within thy wave she looks - Which glistens then, and trembles - Why, then, the prettiest of brooks Her worshipper resembles; For in my heart, as in thy stream, Her image deeply lies - His heart which trembles at the beam Of her soul-searching eyes.
Poems by Poe, Edgar Allan View in context
Some words with "soul-searching" in the definition:
introspection
quester
searcher
seeker
self-analysis
self-contemplation
self-examination
strip-search




--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 mins (2005-05-13 21:18:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Nitpicking is different and not correctly used in this context but the explanation at the end is correct at least...

This article is about physical nitpicking, for the sport, see Nitpicking (sport) Nitpicking is the sport of finding, often trivial, mistakes in movies and television shows.

..... Click the link for more information. .

Nitpicking is the act of removing nits Nit can refer to:
A common name for various types of lice eggs. See head lice, pubic lice, Pediculosis.
A derogatory term typical of non-American English, indicating foolishness
A unit of luminance, the nit (unit)
the National Invitation Tournament
National Institutes of Technology, India
Nit -- Goddess of Weaving, War, Hunting and the Red Crown, Creator Deity, Mother of Ra.

..... Click the link for more information. (the eggs of lice

Suborders
Anoplura (sucking lice)
Rhyncophthirina
Ischnocera (avian lice)
Amblycera (chewing lice)

Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. They are all obligate ectoparasites of mammals and birds, excluding the Monotremes (the duck-billed platypus and spiny ant-eater) and bats.

The order has traditionally been divided into two suborders; the sucking lice (Anoplura) and chewing lice (Mallophaga), however, recent classifications suggest that the Mallophaga are paraphyletic and four suborders are now recognised:


..... Click the link for more information. , though in this case specifically head lice Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are one of the many varieties of sucking lice (singular \"louse\") specialized to live on different areas of various animals.
As the name implies, head lice are specialized to live among the hair present on the human head and are exquisitely adapted to living mainly on the scalp and neck hairs of their human host. Lice present on other body parts covered by hair are not head lice but are either Pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) or Body lice (Pediculus humanus humanus).
..... Click the link for more information. ) from one\'s hair

Hair is also a musical: see Hair (musical) and Hair (movie)

Hair is the filamentous outgrowth of the epidermis found in mammals. Hair is a characteristic of all mammals, though in some species hair is absent at certain stages of life. \"Hairs\" are also found on plants, the technical term for which is trichomes (see for further discussion of plant hairs).
..... Click the link for more information. . The original way of treating a person for head lice was to remove each nit one at a time from the hair. This was a slow and meticulous process, and new methods that take less time have been developed in more recent times.

In modern times, the word isn\'t widely used in the sense of removing head lice anymore, but rather refers to unjustified criticism that is very meticulous.