Areas of Focus

Self-criticism

Self-criticism is an aspect of personality involving negative self-evaluation. It is often experienced as an attacking inner voice that reminds 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, claims to know how others see us, and generates a pervasive sense of being bad.

A dominant Internal Critic is characterised by over-generalisation of negative events, the imposition of exacting standards, and the linking of setbacks to imagined deficiencies in character or performance. For example, a minor mistake is read as a personal failure and proof of broader uselessness. This pattern of personalisation and negative reframing has been associated with elevated levels of negative emotion, including shame, doubt, feelings of deficiency, low self-esteem, and poor self-confidence. Excessive self-criticism is a recognised risk factor for depression.

Since the superego cannot be eliminated, the task is to soften the destructive critic into a constructive one. Simple steps to moderate the Inner Critic include developing awareness of these thoughts, examining the evidence, and asking yourself what advice you would give to a friend in the same position. More importantly, the function the internal critic serves requires examination. For example, ongoing self-criticism may relate to a drive for success that itself reflects a wish for parental approval. This points to the role of largely unconscious factors in the superego's demands.

Therapy works with the Inner Critic by tracing it back to the relationships in which it formed, recognising whose voice it actually carries, and loosening its hold over time. The aim is not to silence the critic, but to reduce its authority and create room for other ways of seeing yourself.

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.