Abstract
The psychological construct of the Inner Critic (IC) describes the internal, negative valuations made by individuals within relationships based upon previous faulty thinking (Earley, 2012; Green, 2008; Kugel, 2010). Marriage and family counselors working with couples may benefit from understanding the IC construct and utilizing the anthetic relationship therapy (ART) paradigm (Elliott & Elliott, 2000) to assist couples with neutralizing the deleterious effects of the IC’s messages. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to (a) describe the development of the IC as an integral psychodynamic construct in psychological functioning and treatment; (b) highlight the mechanisms in which the IC manifests intrapersonally and sabotages individuals interpersonally; and (c) discuss the implications for utilizing ART to address the IC’s destructive messages so couples can reengage in healthy and optimal interpersonal communication.
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