Self-Criticism Can Be Psychologically Devastating
Self-Criticism Can Be Psychologically Devastating
March 18, 2016
U.S. News and World Report — From a very early age, we learn – in a manner of speaking – to nitpick ourselves. We take information from those we encounter and the world around us to fine-tune how we act and who we are, taking note of what doesn’t work in an ongoing internal dialogue that stretches back to childhood.
Constructive self-critiquing can help with proper development, plus everything from preserving relationships to toeing the line professionally. But for some, harsher self-criticism, often deeply rooted in his or her upbringing, can prove psychologically – and in certain cases, even physically – devastating.
Prof. Golan Shahar
“Self-criticism is a tendency to set unrealistically high self-standards and to adopt a punitive, derogatory stance toward the self once these are not met, as invariably they are not because of their ever-raising nature,” said psychologist and researcher Prof. Golan Shahar of BGU’s Department of Psychology.
Prof. Shahar, the author of a new book called Erosion: The Psychopathology of Self-Criticism, explains this internal negative bent that can have severe consequences.
“Self-criticism is a trait that has been shown to lead to numerous forms of psychopathology: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorder symptoms,” Prof. Shahar says.
It can lead to psychosomatic symptoms, he says, whereby the mental struggles manifest in physical problems, such as chronic fatigue and pain; and under the weight of the mounting mental health burden, some take their own lives.
The seeds of self-criticism are planted early. It’s caused by two possible factors, Prof. Shahar says: “Harsh, critical and punitive family relationships, or a very vulnerable genetics embedding the tendency to look inwardly and seek flaws.” And of course, he adds, both factors can combine to play a role.
Prof. Shahar says parents must be very cautious about being punitive and derogatory toward their children, since children can internalize this in the way they treat themselves. “Instructing children and … pointing out and even sanctioning bad behavior is mandatory, of course,” he says.
“But this never, or almost never, should be translated toward attacking the child’s core being, or the child will internalize it and will follow suit.”
Prof. Shahar teaches adolescents and young adults about the detriments of self-criticism. “I then teach them to identify their inner critic and then to cultivate other voices inside them that are not critical,” he says
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