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What's your description of a Critic? What does a critic actually do? Are critics a good or a bad thing? Are they useful and if so how? Is it possible that you yourself are a possible critic?

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What's your description of a Critic? What does a critic actually do? Are critics a good or a bad thing? Are they useful and if so how? Is it possible that you yourself are a possible critic?

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a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of something, they can be good or bad depending on what they say.

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a critic is someone tells another person how they liked something its usually bad

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A critic is someone who judges your work or what you wear weather it's bad or good.

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somebody that judges somebody else's work

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critic is when someone corrects you to better yourself or your work.

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A critic is someone who looks at your work then tries to help make it better by giving advice in ways you can fix it

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A critic is someone who looks at your work then tries to help make it better by giving advice in ways you can fix it

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A critic is someone that looks at your work and judges your work. They could help you by making suggesting to help improve your work.   "

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We live in a world full of criticism. Sometimes it comes in the form of statements or remarks from other people, other times it's implied through images and messages passed along through media and advertising. It can be kind and constructive, or cruel and demeaning. No mater what form it comes in, to be on the receiving end is a condition of being a human in this world.

There's a certain type of criticism that people often talk about in therapy. Some people call it " self-criticism", others call it " the inner critic ". Either way, it's the kind of criticism that we tend to experience in the privacy of our own minds. This characteristic can make it particularly difficult to escape, and to make sense of.

So why do we experience inner criticism? Certainly individual context is important to consider, and our relationships with our own inner critics are bound to vary from person to person. However, I've noticed some common themes that have emerged from the many conversations I've had in the therapy room with folks concerned with their experiences of self-criticism.

Self-Criticism and Self-Esteem

One common (and understandable) conclusion that people often draw is that we experience self-criticism because we have low self-esteem. This is not necessarily true.

Often when I ask people what they do when they experience inner criticism, their answers are very telling of how they esteem themselves. Among the myriad possible responses to the inner critic, people will describe feeling unhappy, working extra hard at succeeding, or withdrawing to prevent the possibility of the inner critic's prophecies coming true. All these responses fit with taking a position against these unkind messages, or creating safety for oneself.

As I've mentioned before in my posts on resistance and self-esteem, these kinds of responses fit better with esteeming oneself highly than they do with the notion of having low self-esteem. To feel unhappy in response to any unkind criticism (be it internal or external) says something about how we'd prefer to be treated. If we have a preference for kinder, more balanced assessments of our abilities and personhoods, we must see ourselves as being worthy of such.

The Inner Critic and The Outer World

If the inner critic is not necessarily a reflection of low self-esteem, how does it come to be? Before really unpacking the messages of self-criticism, many people will say that those messages come form themselves. There's a sense that because we experience self-criticism in the privacy of our own minds, the words and messages that go along with it are of our own authorship. However, for the overwhelming majority of people I meet with, a little bit of conversation often exposes who is (and is not) responsible for the content of the inner critic's messages.
Consider this analogy that I often use in the therapy room:
Imagine you're going through your usual daily routine. First thing in the morning, you have the radio or TV on in the background and you hear a song that is as irritating as it is catchy. For the rest of the day, no matter where you go, you can't get away from the song. It seems to be playing everywhere!

Finally, at the end of day, you're home and doing whatever it is you do to unwind...and then it hits you! That terrible song has become a part of your inner repertoire, and it's now playing on repeat in your own head! What has been heard cannot be unheard.

As human beings, we have this amazing ability to remember stuff. Of course, our memories have their limitations, but generally speaking, when we have an experience, it gets filed away for later reference. Criticism is a kind of experience too, and just like that irritating song (which we certainly didn't invite into our consciousness), once we hear it, it cannot be unheard. Thus, when we're in situations that resemble other instances in which we've received criticism (if even in some abstract way), those messages can reappear, whether we like it or not.

To put it simply, the inner critic is a reflection (or reproduction) of the many critical messages we experience and respond to in the social world. There is rarely anything original about its messages, which can often be traced back to salient, pervasive, or traumatic experiences involving criticism, humiliation, and a lack of safety.

Self-Criticism and Safety

Self-criticism rarely comes into the picture when people are feeling comfortable, safe, and at ease. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that their inner critic is a bother when they really feel like all is well. Instead, the inner critic is far more likely to make an appearance in response to a sense of danger.

There are a few reasons for this:

1. Criticism can be motivating. When we self-monitor our own performance in precarious circumstances, we can be especially careful with the words and actions we choose. This bodes well for surviving adverse experiences.

2. We often go on the defensive in response to criticism. By shoring up our defensive resources, we're better equipped to mitigate discomfort, pain, and harm.

3. Criticism can help us keep from getting in over our heads. When the inner critic comments on our abilities to handle challenging situations, it can serve the purpose of avoiding feeling overwhelmed.

Whatever the reason, the inner critic often pipes up when we're feeling vulnerable. On one hand, this can serve important protective functions, while also imposing some limitations we might not be happy with. Based on conversations I've had with people about their experiences with self-criticism, I can understand the value around creating safety, but also their sense of discontent with the way in which that safety is established if it gets in the way of things that are important to them.

Responding to the Inner-Critic

Self-criticism can be an act of resistance in and of itself (like when it serves the interest of creating safety), or it can be a force to resist (just like resisting critical messages spoken out loud by people in the social world). I'm always amazed at people's abilities to live as expansively as they're able to in spite of how daunting things might feel in the presence of the inner critic. I often ask these folks questions like,

"How are you able to do that despite the trepidation you feel with the inner critic?"

"How have you managed to hang on to _________________ despite the messages of self-criticism that stand in opposition to that?"

"If you felt more restricted by the inner critic in the past, how is it that you've improved things to the point you're at now?"

It can be useful to remember that although the vast majority of people (if not all of us) have experienced inner criticism, not all inner criticism is created equally. By this, I mean that the context and meaning behind my self-criticism is almost guaranteed to be different than yours. Therefore, how we respond, what helps, and what doesn't, will differ from person to person, and situation to situation.

Speaking personally, when unkind criticism finds its way into my thought process, I use mindfulness-based approaches that take away some of the weight of their critical conclusions. To do this:

I acknowledge the presence of the critical thoughts;

I acknowledge that these criticisms come from a particular perspective or vantage point;

I acknowledge that just because this perspective exists does not necessarily make it true;

If I decide the criticism is fair or true, I consider constructive actions I could take to address it;

I shore up examples of exceptions to the self-criticism as a way of establishing balance.

If you have helpful ways of responding to your own inner critic, I'd love to hear about them! Share your knowledge by leaving a comment below.

Do you have concerns about your experience with self-criticism? If you feel like you could use some help

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There's a certain type of criticism that people often talk about in therapy. Some people call it "self-criticism", others call it "the inner critic". So why do we experience inner criticism? In this post I explore some common themes from the many conversations

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a critic is someone who judges your work and gives you suggestions on how to make it better. They are a good thing because their suggestions can make you better. Anyone can be a critic.

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a critic is someone who judges your work and gives you suggestions on how to make it better. They are a good thing because their suggestions can make you better. Anyone can be a critic.

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a critic is somebody that gives their opinion on your work.

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A critic is someone who gives there opinion on something and helps to make it better

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A critic is someone who gives there opinion on something and helps to make it better

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A critic is someone who reviews and looks at a persons final product and decides wether or not it is worth someones time. But in the end its just there opinion. It depend if they are good or bad based on your on review. Sometimes they are very useful in correcting things people need help in.

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criticism is a method to judge something so bad that you make the guy wish he never lived. however if its a good critic then people usually feel happy about themselves.            TIP: Don't need to be to harsh just say it looks bad!

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criticism is a method to judge something so bad that you make the guy wish he never lived. however if its a good critic then people usually feel happy about themselves.            TIP: Don't need to be to harsh just say it looks bad!

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- Atilla

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A critic is someone who knows a lot about a certain field and can judge other's work in that particular field. Critics are useful because they can make suggestions on how your work can be better, and tell you parts of your work that they did/did not like. They are a good thing because, for some people, the only way to better themselves is to hear the opinions of others. I like to think I could be a critic because I can be very objective when looking at someone's work, but only if I knew enough about a certain subject to make educated critiques.

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A critic is someone who judges what you have done on you piece of work. They tell you what you need to improve on and what you did very well.

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A critic is someone who judges different works to give people information such as how good or bad it is or what they can expect from it. I think they can be a very good and useful thing to help others get more knowledgeable on things such as movies or restaurants so they'll know if it's worth their time or not. They can also help whoever they're critiquing by giving a great review or offering suggestions on how to improve. I'm not sure if I could be a critic. I'm very indecisive and I might know whether or not I like something, but I'd probably have trouble pinpointing the exact specifics and being able to write a lot about the subject.

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A critic is someone who looks at your work and tells you whats good and bad about your work. Critics are supposed to be a good thing and they are useful because they can make your work better. If you can look at someones work and help them fix it, yes you yourself can be a critic.

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A critic is somebod

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A critic

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A critic is someone who looks a persons art work and gives criticism on what the person could have done better on their work. It depends on the type of critic that you have some critics can be very judgmental and get into every single detail with what you have done wrong while others can just tell you some suggestions. Everyone is a critic in life with judging what people do.

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a critic is someone who gives suggestions on how to make your work better and judges it. Critics are good because it can be useful to get an opinion on things from an outside source. i think in some form everyone can be a critic, even if its not their job.

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A critic is a person who judges on another work

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A critic is a person who judges on another work

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A critic is a person who judges on someone else's work. They judge your work and they help you better yourself. A critic can be good and bad. They can be good because the critic can help you improve your work. they can also be bad because they might not be very polite with what they say so they'll bring you down. It is possible that i'm a critic because i can be very judgmental person. I don't do it to be rude i just want people to do better.

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A critic is a person who judges on someone else's work. They judge your work and they help you better yourself. A critic can be good and bad. They can be good because the critic can help you improve your work. they can also be bad because they might not be very polite with what they say so they'll bring you down. It is possible that i'm a critic because i can be very judgmental person. I don't do it to be rude i just want people to do better.

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A critic is someone who looks at a piece of work and says if that thing is good or bad. They also give advice on how to make it better or what you shouldn't do next time, but they shouldn't be rude about it.

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a critic is someone who judges your work and says what the either like or dont like about it.

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A Critic is a person that gives you constructive criticisms on your work. Critics can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you take it or how it is delivered. Anyone could be a critic, you just have to know how to phrase things so you don't hurt anyone's feelings.

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A critic is someone who looks at your work makes suggestions on how you could make it better or they can just say they don't like it and give it a reason. Critic is a good thing because sometimes it is hard to look at your own work and say if something needs to be fixed. Yes they are useful because everyone has room to improve. And yes everyone is a critic. Everyone can say if they feel like something can be improved

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What's your description of a Critic?  What does a critic actually do?  Are critics a good or a bad thing?  Are they useful and if so how? Is it possible that you yourself are a possible critic?

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What's your description of a Critic?  What does a critic actually do?  Are critics a good or a bad thing?  Are they useful and if so how? Is it possible that you yourself are a possible critic?