Family origins of adolescent self-criticism and its continuity into adulthood

Self-criticism is characteristic of individuals who feel unable to live up to standards and ideals and who consequently feel they are personally to blame for this. It has been hypothesized that the development of self-criticism may be related to seeking approval from cold, harsh, demanding, judgmental parents, and the fear losing such approval. To test this hypothesis and the stability of self-criticism as a personality trait, 156 subjects were examined at ages five and 12, and at age 31, 78 of the subjects were located and evaluated again. Mothers were interviewed when children were five as well. It was found that the development of a self-critical personality style was related to early parenting. Parenting styles that communicated restrictiveness and rejection were associated with self-criticism in the child, especially if the rejecting and restrictive parent was the same-sex parent. At age 12, it seemed that same-sex parenting was the most important influence on the development of self-criticism, and it was found that self-criticism was stable from age 12 to age 31 for women only. For men, self-criticism at age 12 was related to inhibition of aggressive impulses at age 31. These results support the theory that the development of self-criticism is tied to early parenting, and further define the relationship. It was also found that for women, the trait is relatively stable over time. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)