Inner critic
Encyclopedia
The inner critic is a concept used in popular psychology to refer to a subpersonality
that judges and demeans a person. The inner critic is usually experienced as an inner voice attacking a person, saying that he or she is bad, wrong, inadequate, worthless, guilty, and so on. The inner critic often produces feelings of shame, deficiency, low self-esteem, and depression. It may also cause self-doubt and undermine self-confidence. It is common for people to have a harsh inner critic that is debilitating.
This concept is similar in many ways to the Freudian superego. Earley & Weiss identify seven types of inner critics—the perfectionist, the taskmaster, the inner controller, the guilt tripper, the destroyer, the underminer, and the molder.
A number of self-help books deal with the inner critic, though some use other terms to denote it, such as "the judge" or "the gremlin." There are two different approaches to working with the inner critic:
(1) Treat it as an enemy to be ignored, dismissed, fought against, or overcome. This is the approach recommended by Brown based on the Diamond Approach, Firestone, et al. , and Carson .
(2) Treat it as a misguided ally, to be befriended and transformed. This is the approach recommended by Stone & Stone based on Voice Dialogue, Earley & Weiss based on Internal Family Systems Therapy
, and Allione based on Tibetan Buddhism
. These approaches see the inner critic as attempting to help or protect the person, though in a distorted, dysfunctional way. This makes it possible to connect with the critic and transform it into a helpful ally.
Subpersonality
A subpersonality is, in transpersonal psychology, a personality mode that kicks in to allow a person to cope with certain types of psychosocial situations...
that judges and demeans a person. The inner critic is usually experienced as an inner voice attacking a person, saying that he or she is bad, wrong, inadequate, worthless, guilty, and so on. The inner critic often produces feelings of shame, deficiency, low self-esteem, and depression. It may also cause self-doubt and undermine self-confidence. It is common for people to have a harsh inner critic that is debilitating.
This concept is similar in many ways to the Freudian superego. Earley & Weiss identify seven types of inner critics—the perfectionist, the taskmaster, the inner controller, the guilt tripper, the destroyer, the underminer, and the molder.
A number of self-help books deal with the inner critic, though some use other terms to denote it, such as "the judge" or "the gremlin." There are two different approaches to working with the inner critic:
(1) Treat it as an enemy to be ignored, dismissed, fought against, or overcome. This is the approach recommended by Brown based on the Diamond Approach, Firestone, et al. , and Carson .
(2) Treat it as a misguided ally, to be befriended and transformed. This is the approach recommended by Stone & Stone based on Voice Dialogue, Earley & Weiss based on Internal Family Systems Therapy
Internal Family Systems Model
The Internal Family Systems Model is an integrative approach to individual psychotherapy developed by Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D. It combines systems thinking with the view that mind is made up of relatively discrete subpersonalities each with its own viewpoint and qualities...
, and Allione based on Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. These approaches see the inner critic as attempting to help or protect the person, though in a distorted, dysfunctional way. This makes it possible to connect with the critic and transform it into a helpful ally.