The Fear of Criticism can hinder your progress if you allow it to stop you from being your best self. Instead of letting it affect you, try to find a way to assert yourself. You might find that you are more sensitive to criticism because of things that happened to you in your childhood. But you need not allow these experiences to stop you from following your dreams and achieving your goals.
Avoiding criticism
Avoiding criticism is not a healthy habit and can result in severe negative effects. Criticism makes us feel inferior. It hits us on a nerve and stirs up the fear of a fatal flaw. Fortunately, there are ways to cope with criticism.
Being too sensitive to criticism
Being too sensitive to criticism is a problem that can negatively affect anyone. Even though criticism is often hurtful, it can also be an opportunity to learn and grow. Many people find ways to integrate criticism. However, if you experience high levels of sensitivity to criticism, you may need to seek counseling.
Assertiveness as key to overcoming fear of criticism
Developing self-confidence is an important component of becoming more assertive. This confidence should not be based on self-importance, but instead on the knowledge that your rights and needs are just as important as anyone else's. Take the initiative to identify what you want and set goals to achieve them.
Childhood experiences that lead to greater sensitivity to criticism
Research has found that a child's emotional well-being is significantly affected by experiences in childhood. Children who experience emotional maltreatment in childhood are more likely to have negative interpersonal schema. Several studies, including those by Calvete et al. (2014), have shown an association between childhood emotional maltreatment and negative interpersonal schema.
Symptoms of enosiophobia
People with enosiophobia have an irrational fear of being criticized. This fear causes the person to experience high levels of anxiety, even to the point of full-blown panic attacks. There are several ways to deal with this condition. One way is to avoid the things that trigger the fear.
Ways to overcome fear of criticism
Often, when we hear criticism, we feel rejected. We feel as if we don't measure up, that we don't do enough, or that we have some fatal flaw. The good news is that there are ways to overcome this fear of criticism.