Abstract
Objectives: To explore the phenomenology of self-criticism, and the relationship with constructs such as rumination and perfectionism. Design: The study followed a three-group (Depression, n = 26; Eating Disorder, n = 26; Non-clinical, n = 26) mixed methods design. Method: Participants completed a set of questionnaires and were interviewed about the occurrence, impact, and content of self-critical thinking, along with their beliefs about self-criticism. Results: Both clinical groups reported more frequent, persistent, and less controllable self-criticism compared to controls, present on average 50–60% of the time. They reported a negative impact on mood, and a moderately severe impact on daily activities. They indicated greater desire to change self-criticism whilst judging it more difficult to reduce. Habitual self-criticism was highly correlated with lower self-esteem, lower self-compassion, greater rumination, and greater negative perfectionism. Compared to those with depression, the eating disorder group reported harsher self-criticism, felt it was more part of their personality, and was more beneficial. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of exploring people's beliefs about their self-criticism, and imply that treatment for self-criticism may be more challenging with people with eating disorders than people with depression. Practitioner points: This study highlights that self-criticism is common in depression and eating disorders and that some people find this a significant problem in its own right. Careful assessment of self-criticism is recommended when working with these clinical presentations, which should include the perceived positive consequences and desire to change.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 751-769 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice |
Volume | 90 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Psychiatry and Mental Health
Keywords
- anorexia nervosa
- bulimia nervosa
- depression
- perfectionism
- self-criticism