…hat we enjoy, and the experiences that facilitate our personal growth. The Critical Inner Voice The Critical Inner Voice is the part of us that is turned against ourselves. It is the defended, negative side of our personality that is opposed to our ongoing development. The voice consists of the negative thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that oppose our best interests and diminish our self-esteem. It encourages and strongly influences self-defeating…
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…us from developing to our true potential. Watch a Whiteboard Video on The Critical Inner Voice BOYT: Does our critical inner voice serve a good purpose? Dr. Lisa Firestone: No.A lot of people might mistake their critical inner voice with their conscience. The critical inner voice is not a conscience or a moral guide. Even though the “voice” may sometimes seem to be related to our values and ideals, its statements against us have a degrading and p…
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…and your sexuality. Encouraging your partner to talk to you about his/her critical inner voice attacks about sex As you reveal your critical inner voice, your partner may begin to think about the critical inner voice in relation to him/herself. Your partner may wonder how its attacks affect him/her as a sexual person. Introduce your partner to PsychAlive and show him/her how to identify the specific attacks of the critical inner voice. Once he/sh…
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…nts that we can easily tolerate as adults. Watch a Whiteboard Video on The Critical Inner Voice The critical inner voice Within each of us is an internal dialogue that supports our defense system. The critical inner voice is this dialogue, and it is the language of the defense system. It encourages us to cut off our feelings, to not be vulnerable, to not let others close. It separates us from people by promoting cynical attitudes toward others and…
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…Or “Love always fades. I should never expect it to last.” What is this the critical inner voice? The critical inner voice is a byproduct of the defenses we developed as children in order to cope with any stressful or painful events. It was formed early on when we were vulnerable youngsters trying to protect ourselves against frustration and emotional pain, and it was reinforced throughout our childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. This was pa…
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…and our state of mind than the event itself. When criticism triggers your critical inner voice Your critical inner voice is often triggered by criticism or feedback even when it is constructive information offered by friends, family members, co-workers, or employers. It appears that all of us are much more sensitive to feedback when it fits in with specific negative attitudes we already have toward ourselves. No matter that the criticism is comin…
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…ell as in a book he and I co-authored for the general public, Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice. The steps include: Step One: Identifying What Your Critical Inner Voice is Telling You In order to challenge their negative attacks, people must first become aware of what their critical inner voice is telling them. They can do this by identifying an area of their lives where they are especially critical of themselves and then pay attention to what the…
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…and everything to do with an internal critic we all possess. What is our “critical inner voice”? This “critical inner voice” exists in all of us, reminding us constantly that we aren’t good enough and don’t deserve what we want. In her book Yes, Please comedian Amy Poehler described this inner enemy as “a demon voice.” She wrote, “This very patient and determined demon shows up in your bedroom one day and refuses to leave. You are six or twelve o…
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…the main culprits guiding us into a negative head space during sex is our critical inner voice. The critical inner voice is a destructive thought process that sabotages our sexual satisfaction. The extent to which we listen to this “voice” correlates with our feelings of self-consciousness, insecurity, and shame. It can also lead to self-limiting, or even self-destructive, behavior. While most of us know that the buzzing sound of our self-critica…
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…self-denying, paranoid and suspicious. The anti-self is expressed in our “critical inner voice.” The critical inner voice is like an internal coach negatively commentating on our lives, influencing how we behave and how we feel about ourselves. It’s there to undermine our goals: “Who do you think you are? You’ll never be successful!” It’s there to undercut our accomplishments: “This won’t end well. Sooner or later you’re going to mess up.” It’s t…
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