Understanding Self-Criticism

Hi there!

Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss all things mental health and self-improvement.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Before we begin today, a quick update:

I have received some feedback from readers suggesting that I break up my blogs into smaller pieces—for instance, introducing a new topic one week, then offering a solution to it the next week. In order to increase the brevity of the MoodiNews and make it more digestible, I am going to be adopting this approach moving forward.

*Please continue to let me know how I can improve my work so that it’s as helpful and enjoyable as possible. I love hearing your feedback!*

Today’s topic is: SELF-CRITICISM!

This subject is a personal favorite of mine.

In this segment, you will learn what self-criticism is and why it’s important. Next week, we will discuss how to reverse self-criticism and work with our self-critical tendencies in a more skillful way.

 Self-criticism is defined by the Encyclopedia of Human Behavior as, “the tendency to engage in negative self-evaluation that results in feelings of worthlessness, failure, and guilt when expectations are not met.”

In other words, self-critical people tend to think badly about themselves when they fall short of their own standards.

We have discovered from research that self-criticism is a risk factor for several forms of psychopathology. Self-criticism has long-been correlated with outcomes of depression, but has more recently been linked to other mental health concerns, like social anxiety and eating disorders, as well.

Self-criticism is commonly mentioned alongside conversations about negative self-talk, which is defined by the American Psychological Association’s Dictionary of Psychology as, “an internal dialogue in which an individual…often confirms and reinforces negative beliefs and attitudes…which have a correspondingly negative effect on the individual’s feelings (e.g., a sense of worthlessness) and reactions (e.g., demotivation).”

Typically, people who are self-critical practice considerable amounts of negative self-talk, since negative-self talk is essentially an auditory manifestation of condemning (i.e. critical) beliefs about oneself.

While the harmful effects of ‘negative self-talk’ have been admittedly inconclusive (and loosely defined) in the research, we absolutely know that adhering to shame-based, self-critical beliefs about oneself corrodes a person’s emotional resilience and sense of self-worth over time. The clinical literature also shows that self-criticism is commonly correlated with lowered levels of motivation, social connectedness, adaptability to stress, and goal-attainment (performance outcomes).

Essentially, self-criticism is deleterious to our mental health.

But if you find yourself being self-critical—that’s okay!

We will discuss more on how to overcome self-criticism next week. :)