Criticism can trigger psychiatric symptoms for some individuals who interpret feedback in unhealthy ways. How you handle criticism may affect your relationships with others, your self-esteem, and your opportunities for personal growth. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), you have the opportunity to discover a new perspective and develop new skills to respond to criticism with a more healthy, productive approach.
People generally have one of three potential reactions to criticism. Two are unhealthy and one is healthy.
One unhealthy response would be to automatically assume that the person giving you the criticism is right. You don’t question the validity or motivation behind the feedback and accept it as 100 percent accurate and deserved. If you struggle with self-esteem or entrenched negative beliefs about yourself, you might receive the criticism as further evidence that you are a failure, incapable, or unworthy, regardless of whether the criticism is valid.
Another unhealthy response would be to automatically assume that the person giving you the criticism is wrong. You might reflexively interpret the criticism as an attack and act defensively or respond with anger. If you struggle with perfectionism or anxiety, criticism may often feel like an attack when it contradicts the image of the ideal person you feel like you are expected to be.
[For more of this story, written by April Mojica, go to http://psychcentral.com/lib/handling-criticism/]
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