Areas of Focus

Self-criticism

Self-criticism is considered to be an aspect of personality and involves a negative self-evaluation. It is often experienced as an attacking inner voice reminding you of your inadequacies. Freud’s identification of the superego suggests that we all suffer, to differing degrees, at the hands of an Inner Critic. The internal critic demands perfection, appears to know how others think and feel about us, and generates an impression of badness about ourselves.

A dominant internal critic is characterised by the over-generalization of negative events, high standards, and the linking of negative experiences to imagined deficiencies in character or performance. For example, a silly mistake is interpreted as a personal failure and evidence of overall uselessness. In turn, the personalization of events and negative re-framing have been associated with higher levels of negative emotion. These include shame, doubt, deficiency, low self-esteem, and poor self-confidence. Excessive self-criticism represents a risk factor for what  is referred to as introjective depression.

Given the impossibility of outright superego elimination, the sole remedy involves a modification of the destructive critic into a constructive critic. Simple steps to moderate the Inner Critic include developing an awareness of these thoughts, examining the evidence, and asking yourself what advice you would give to a friend. More importantly, the function of the internal critic requires examination. For example, ongoing self-criticism may be related to a drive for success, which may in turn correspond with a wish for parental approval. This points to the role of largely unconscious factors in our superego demands.

References

Blatt, S. (2008). Polarities of experience: Relatedness and self-definition in personality, development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Carver, C., & Ganellen, R. (1983). Depression and components of self-punitiveness: High standards, self-criticism, and overgeneralization. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 92(3), 330–337.

Freud, S. (1896). The ego and the id and other works. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Volume XIX). London: Hogarth Press, 1978.

Mongrain, M. (1998). Parental representations and support-seeking behaviors related to dependency and self-criticism. Journal of Personality, 66(2), 151–173.

Moroz, M., & Dunkley, D. (2015). Self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms: Low self-esteem and experiential avoidance as mediators. Personality and Individual Differences, 87, 174–179.