High Self-criticism Research Articles

Psychological characteristics and the efficacy of hospitalization treatment on delayed sleep phase syndrome patients with school refusal

The study investigated the efficacy of the treatment of patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) through hospitalization, given social cues and their psychological characteristics, using a picture-frustration study. The participants were 22 DSPS patients with school refusal during adolescence, consisting of 13 boys and 9 girls (mean age ± SD = 16.0 ± 1.4, range = 13–18). Over 90% of the DSPS patients with school refusal showed improvements in their sleep-wake rhythm (S-W) just after hospitalization. Over 50% of them maintained their improved S-W after discharge and attended school. The picture-frustration study for DSPS patients with school refusal, especially in patients who showed no improvement in their S-W and school refusal after discharge, showed low aggression, low expression of their dissatisfaction, high suppression of their emotion, low social interest and high self-criticism. Patients who did not show improvement in their S-W through hospitalization have psychological problems such as those mentioned above. They may therefore need to take psychological intervention such as self-assertion training.

The Role of Self-Criticism, Dependency, and Hassles in the Course of Depressive Illness: A Multiwave Longitudinal Study

The current study utilized a multiwave longitudinal design to examine whether dependency and/or self-criticism influence the course of depressive symptoms in a community sample of adults with a history of major depression. In addition, the authors examined whether self-esteem serves as a buffer against the development of depressive symptoms following increases in hassles in individuals possessing such traits. At Time 1, 102 participants completed measures assessing depressive symptoms, self-criticism, dependency, and self-esteem. Every 6 weeks for the next year, participants completed measures assessing depressive symptoms and hassles. High self-criticism was associated with greater elevations in depressive symptoms following elevations in hassles in low but not high-self-esteem individuals. Results with respect to dependency, however, were contrary to hypotheses. High dependency was associated with elevations in depressive symptoms following elevations in hassles in high-self-esteem individuals. In contrast, high dependency was associated with chronically elevated depressive symptoms in low-self-esteem individuals.

Psychologic and obstetric predictors of couples’ grief during pregnancy after miscarriage or perinatal death

Objective: To determine if the psychologic constructs of self-criticism and marital adjustment, considered jointly with obstetric and demographic factors, are significant predictors of grief during a pregnancy after a miscarriage or perinatal death. Methods: Participants included 60 pregnant women with previous miscarriages or perinatal deaths, and 50 of their partners. Participants completed a package of psychometric instruments between the tenth and 19th week of gestation. Predictors of grief (active grief, difficulty coping, despair) included (1) psychologic factors: marital adjustment and self-criticism; (2) demographic factors: age and number of living children; and (3) obstetric factors: gestational age at time of loss, number of losses, and time between loss and subsequent conception. Results: Stepwise regression analyses were conducted for each grief component for women and men. For women, active grief was significantly associated with high self-criticism and later losses ( R 2 = 0.31). Later losses and longer time between loss and conception were significantly associated with difficulty coping ( R 2 = 0.55) and despair ( R 2 = 0.44). In men, active grief was associated with high self-criticism and later losses ( R 2 = 0.28), difficulty coping ( R 2 = 0.18), and despair ( R 2 = 0.25) with high self-criticism. A trend was found for poor marital adjustment to be associated with higher levels of difficulty coping and despair in men. Conclusion: High levels of self-criticism and later gestational age at time of loss are predictors of increased grief during a pregnancy after a miscarriage or perinatal death. Increased time between loss and subsequent conception is also predictive of increased grief for women. For men, low levels of marital adjustment are predictive of increased grief. These results may be helpful in counselling couples considering pregnancy after a loss.

Comparing the Self-Concepts of Persons With and Without Physical Disabilities

Tam and Watkins (1995b) explored the basis of self-concepts of physically disabled and nondisabled Hong Kong Chinese adults and developed the hierarchical multidimensional self-concept models. Two questionnaires that measure self-concept were developed and validated for those groups. The questionnaires share 41 common items in 6 self-concept areas. In the present study, the 2 groups' responses were compared via univariate analysis of variance. The nondisabled participants (n % 200) were found to have statistically significantly higher means than their disabled counterparts (n % 214) in total self-concept, material self-concepts, and physical self-concepts. There were no significant differences in their family, social, and work self-concepts. The nondisabled participants reported greater openness (indicated by higher self-criticism scores).

Dependency, self-criticism, and perceptions of socialization experiences.

This study explored the relationship of dependency and self-criticism to perceptions of socialization experiences using 132 bipolar, nonbipolar depressed, and nonpsychiatric control female subjects. After controlling for level of depression and diagnosis, dependency was related to a distant relationship with fathers during development and was marginally related to perceptions of increased parental attention and overindulgence. Self-criticism was related to perceptions of difficulties in the quality of affective bonds with fathers and peers during childhood and was related marginally to perceptions of increased paternal power and control during development. No unique socialization experiences were associated with high dependency and self-criticism jointly, but women with both dispositional tendencies were likely to be severely depressed.

Depression and components of self-punitiveness: high standards, self-criticism, and overgeneralization.

Depression and components of self-punitiveness: high standards, self-criticism, and overgeneralization.

Motive to avoid success: A profile

In a series of studies, comparisons were made between the self-descriptions of college women whose stories contained motive-to-avoid-success imagery with women whose stories did not contain motive-to-avoid-success imagery. Women exhibiting the motive to avoid success were generally career oriented but aspired to traditional female occupations and were less concerned with making a major contribution to their field. Women not exhibiting motive to avoid success were more likely to choose atraditional female occupations, and their mothers were more likely to be employed in atraditional female occupations. With regard to personality variables, women exhibiting the motive to avoid success reported lower expression of affection, lower self-concept with close associates, higher self-criticism, and higher external locus of control. In general, ambivalence characterized their view of themselves, their relationships with others, and their professional goals. In addition, two sets of verbal cues that evoked equivalent degrees of motive-to-avoid-success imagery were developed.