Types of Self-Criticism

It is largely accepted that there are two types of criticism. However, since the human mind can be very complicated and diverse, it is nearly impossible that any one individual would engage in just one type of negative self-assessment. Instead, most self-critical people engage in both, but in different quantities.

Comparative Self-Criticism

This Refers to comparing oneself to others and finding oneself to be lacking in comparison. Those who engage in this type of self-criticism base their self-esteem on perceptions of how others feel about them and tend to view others as either superior, critical and/or hostile. Feeling that others view them in a negative way effects their perception of themselves.

IInternalized Self-Criticism

In contrast, this type of negative self-assessment, involves the feelings that one cannot possibly live up to personal ideals or standards, and continues to feel deficient in some manner or another. For people experiencing this kind of self-criticism, even success may be viewed as failure. For example, an individual received the second highest score in an examination, but feels unsuccessful, as anything lower than the first place signifies failure to them.

What You Can Do

Both types of self-criticism have an adverse effect on the individual. In order to take a decisive step towards helping yourself, first analyze which of these self-criticism do you tend to engage in the most. Then, together, we will work towards dealing with it.

Key Points

• There are two types of self-criticism: comparative and internalized.
• Comparative self-criticism has an effect on one’s perception of oneself.
• Internalized self-criticism may tend to be even harsher than the criticism by others.