Criticism is related to crisis: where there is criticism there is crisis. It could be said that self-criticism is a voice of alarm, a wake-up call. In general, we criticize ourselves, occasionally, when making a mistake regarding what we should or should not have done. Of course, self-criticism is necessary, but not to the point of constantly doubting oneself. There are skiers who are very critical of their own skiing, but complacent with the skiing of others. They find self-censorship more accessible than their own tolerance. They believe in strong words rather than gentle ones and assume that destructive criticism is a change generator.
Generally, self-criticism stems from demands experienced in our childhood. The child who begins to compete may exhibit adjustment problems. Most parents may find it difficult to accept that they have a child who is not good at skiing competition. The child may perceive the parents’ attitude as a rejection of him and continue to strive, but without obtaining the intended results. If parents’ demands continue, the child’s feeling of inadequacy will possibly leave an imprint that will lead to a destructive self-criticism when he becomes an adult skier.
When errors are made and one is harsh on oneself, it is mistakenly thought that this attitude generates the motivation to improve. This belief also stems from childhood when bad behavior was reprimanded. Attention was drawn to what was considered ‘bad‘ or wrong and thus learning what was ‘good‘ or right. This conviction tends to remain present in adulthood, but we do not realize that it is no longer useful because it has become an automatic self-reprimanding mechanism.
The initial function of self-criticism is self-correction, i.e., we criticize ourselves with the aim of preventing the repetition of the error. From this perspective it is considered positive because it is oriented towards improvement, towards operative behaviors tending to solve the mistakes made. It becomes a psychological conflict when it is excessive and destructive, when it turns into punishment and contempt.
Devaluative self-criticism
It can be seen in skiers those who are sensitive to failures and tend to react favorably, while others adopt a momentary imperturbable attitude. The latter, after processing what has happened, begin to make themselves responsible through devaluative self-criticism or pathological criticism. It is considered as such because the skier has almost no control over it and it is detrimental to both self-esteem and skiing performance.
Generally, this type of self-criticism works unconsciously: we are not aware of this destructive mechanism, and when we become conscious of it, we do not have the strength to face the solution of the conflict. By admitting it as normal, ingrained self-criticism becomes part of our personality: practicing constant self-criticism is a sign of a rigid personality.
Devaluating self-criticism has emotional implications, especially excessive shame and anxiety disorders, as well as anguish and a generalized malaise that takes a long time to recover from, particularly if it has been harsh. It also leads to anger at ourselves, which may well be used to reaffirm self-respect, but if it becomes a habit after each wrong performance, it will also project guilt onto future actions.
Using destructive self-criticism repeatedly not only leads to carrying the burden of blame for our mistakes; it also promotes a lack of confidence and the perception that each new endeavor will be a failure leading to discouragement. As self-critical skiers, we tend to blame ourselves, to not forgive the mistakes made, and to compare ourselves negatively with other skiers.
Self-blame is based on what we should have done and works like this: if something has gone wrong, it is obviously because of something we did wrong, that is, because of our own fault. On many occasions, self-criticism does not stop at just blaming ourselves for the mistake, but is chained with other past events and accusations: we blame ourselves in terms of ‘always‘ the same thing is happening to us, or ‘never‘ getting the intended result. It is our inner authoritarian voice telling us that we know what to do, and that if we do not do it right it is our own fault. This negative language, characterized by a certain emotional intensity, is unquestionable, contains rapid and abbreviated expressions and, in many cases, is expressed out loud. By means of this verbal behavior, we try to incriminate ourselves by trying to modify what has been done and to hide the self-demand for change. Self-demand is a fundamental component of self-criticism since it tends to generate the obligation to achieve the proposed goals, producing anxiety to obtain the achievement, and discouragement otherwise. This unsustainable self-demand is the effect of pathological self-criticism.
Devaluating self-criticism is characterized by a negative self-evaluation of our own actions and a diminished self-concept. It is actually demoralizing because we boycott ourselves. The term we use most often is ‘should have’ done so and so. It brings back memories of previous accusations and reproaches and, because we believe it is part of our skiing behavior, we do not try to question it. Constant negative self-criticism encourages rejection of skiing, the mountain, and others who ‘threaten‘ our mental health.
Social criticism and its relationship to devaluative self-criticism
Judgment from other skiers can also trigger destructive self-criticism. Taking too much into account or being constantly aware of others’ evaluations could generate apprehension or embarrassment, triggering self-deprecating attitudes. In reality, no one but ourselves have the right to judge our own skiing behaviors. Only us have the power to do so, but in a healthy way, that is, with a healthy, complacent, and understanding self-criticism.
Negative self-criticism hides the threat of social rejection through strong external criticism. When receiving criticism from other skiers, we face two issues: the criticism itself plus the fact that the other skier appropriates the reason for the criticism. If, on the other hand, we criticize ourselves constructively with the aim of modifying the previous behavior, we manage to mitigate both the effect of the criticism received and the attitude of the critic. The conflict emerges, and subsists, when we fail to appease what we perceive as an attack on our self-esteem, nor do we obtain the change we seek. In this type of harmful attitude, the fear of social rejection affects our self-concept, so we begin to believe that we do not possess the necessary skiing attributes, or those that other skiers expect, believing that our defects cannot be modified because we recognize ourselves to be diminished and incapable of facing our own skiing.
Destructive self-criticism is characterized by a general feeling of self-contempt, while constructive self-criticism identifies reconciliation.
Constructive self-criticism
Self-criticism is healthy when it leads us to take responsibility for what has happened or what has been done in order to channel future behavior towards a better path. It fulfills a natural function as long as the objective is to become aware of the correction and overcoming of our erroneous executions.
The solution to modify a self-devaluating attitude is to use constructive self-criticism, which describes the behavior without judgment or blame, leaving open the possibility to contribute to improvement. It becomes a healthy habit only if it is generated consciously, recognizing both the good and the bad of the skiing action performed. It manifests itself through positive inner dialogue that allows us to account for what we have done and learn from it.
The origin of healthy self-criticism could be established in the need to use it for the development of our own skiing capacities or to foresee possible adversities. For example, if the athlete receives the message that if he does not train conscientiously he will not succeed, he can use constructive self-criticism as a tool to achieve his goals.
Self-acceptance of how we ski can change the way we perceive ourselves, without having the obligation to change personal skiing. Achieving this conquest is a very healthy self-compassionate experience since it promotes the feeling of our own security. The attitude to adopt is to be understanding with ourselves through self-acceptance and self-compassion, which are the tools to counteract the harmful effects of destructive self-criticism.
