Inside the Inner Critic of Leadership- Part 2
A lot has been written about the inner critic. A quick google search will provide you with countless models and perspectives. It is a psychology or psychotherapy construct that is often framed as a subpersonality and is almost universal to the human experience. We may particularly notice it at times of vulnerability when there is a negative, judging and sometimes attacking inner voice. It might tell us all sorts of things, like we are inadequate, guilty, stupid, useless and bad. Not exactly the kind of subpersonality you want to be hanging out with, but one that the vast majority of us possess in some shape and form and that can present itself in different parts of life, operating both consciously and unconsciously.
“The inner critic can be seen as part of the self that has a socially constructed regulatory and survival function in protecting against vulnerability”
You might ask yourself why do we all have an inner critic as part of our personalities? From an evolutionary perspective we are primed for looking for risks and threats, we are also social animals and so it could be seen that the inner critic serves some internal protective function within a social grouping. Add to this that we learn social norms, comparison and relative value as we grow, including perceived good and bad behaviour, traits, archetypes, hierarchies etc. So the inner critic can be seen as part of the self that has a socially constructed regulatory and survival function in protecting against vulnerability. Yet another important factor considered by many writers, academic and otherwise [1,2,3], is that key relationships from childhood and how they provide nurture, attachment, approval and acceptance, impacts on the functioning of the inner critic.
Different levels of Inner Criticism
Some research [4] indicates that those with high levels of inner criticism often experience more contempt and disgust at the self than those with lower levels. The research also suggests that those with high levels of the inner critic are less able to disassociate from the inner critic. In other words the inner critic is more likely to be believed as being true. They were less resilient to the challenges of the inner critic and less able to provide alternative counter perspectives, being less assertive, more submissive and more sad and ashamed in the face of their inner criticism. It is therefore unsurprising that the inner critic is often associated with a range of psychological suffering including depression, anxiety, perfectionism, eating disorders, borderline disorders and within PTSD.
“One of the paradoxes of the inner critic is that it impacts a significant number of high achievers”
Higher levels of inner criticisms, particularly at times of pressure, can tend to focus on absolutes, all or nothings and fail to see a more nuanced perspective. Thoughts can catastrophise and/or exaggerate the perceived negatives in our lives and/or be constantly looking for risks and threats framed through a negative self-image.
It is important to note that although high levels of inner criticism are associated with increased psychological suffering, it can also be moderated by different protective factors or conversely that events in people’s lives might cause an increase in the level of inner criticism.
The Inner Critic and Leadership
One of the paradoxes of the inner critic is that it impacts a significant number of high achievers. A common manifestation of the inner critic can be feelings of imposterism. In my previous post you can read more about Imposter Syndrome specifically, but this is just one way that the inner critic can present itself to some leaders. There are many more ways in which the inner critic judges the self (or others). Often driven by the critical voice and associated with perfectionism, there is a striving for achievement and acknowledgment. In one sense, one might say they are looking to disprove or quieten the inner critic through their achievements. That said, despite their apparent achievements, the inner critic persists, as it has become such a part of their cognitive pattern of thinking, unconsciously driving them onwards. Whilst this may be seen as positive in some respects, it can come with a cost, including burn out in the pursuit of achievement or in some individuals a loss of confidence or breakdown in the face of a significant perceived failure. More insidious impacts include chronic low level stress, rumination and sleeplessness impacting on wellbeing. Self-limiting beliefs fuelled by the inner critic can also hold people back developmentally.
The inner critic may also have a potentially negative impact on how leaders perceive and/or relate to others and impact on wider organisational issues. In truth this can manifest in many different ways and the below list is just a few:
- Negative comparison to others- distorting where the focus of attention should be.
- Projected and unrealistic standards- standards considered acceptable to the inner critic are externalised and projected on to others. What we may criticise ourselves for is then laid on to others, colouring our perspective and creating false negative perception of others capabilities and creating limitations.
- Perfectionism- Anything short of the ideal is seen as a failure. Whilst this can impact on the individual it can also impact on leadership messages- sending out a strong signal that nothing is ever good enough or a constant need for change. Perfectionism can also limit a leader in utilising their resources effectively and knowing what is good enough for now. Ultimately impacting on pace and progress.
- Micromanagement- It can also manifest as micromanagement as the leader is unconsciously driven by a fear of failing, which means they seek to control externally and negatively impacting on team autonomy, trust and lack of focus on more strategic issues.
- Fear of Failure- can also cause some leaders to not take risks or to innovate, when change is necessary for the organisation.
- Unnecessary Risk- Conversely to fear of failure and often more unconscious, they may want to take risks as the inner critic is consciously or unconsciously positioned that failure to take risks is a failure.
- Hypervigilance- an overt focus on threats driven by anxiety of the uncertain. Whilst exhausting to the individual, it can also lead to an overly pessimistic or at least negative perspective that is always looking for threat or danger be that real or imagined.
- Indecision, confidence and missed opportunity- Whilst having some self-doubt is helpful in sense checking our decisions, for some leaders this can lead to questioning their own abilities, judgment and confidence in making sound choices. This can delay important decision or lead to missed opportunities.
- Imposter syndrome- is one of the many forms of the inner critic. A key characteristic of imposter syndrome is as the name suggests, a feeling of being a fraud and fear of being found out. In my other post “inner critic part 1” you can find more information on Imposterism and some of the ways that it can be worked with.
“Greater degrees of self-awareness, systemic thinking, empathy, self-compassion and a learning/improvement focus, all run counter to the restrictive thinking of the inner critic.”
You might look at the above list and be right in thinking that some of this is necessary for leadership. After all, leaders have to make judgements, keep a watchful eye for risks, strive for improvement etc. The question is how much a leader’s attention and judgment is driven by the inner critic and how much they are able to think and act from a more grounded and confident place that is not restricted by the inner critic. Greater degrees of self-awareness, systemic thinking, empathy, self-compassion and a learning/improvement focus, all run counter to the restrictive thinking of the inner critic. Leaders that are able to work more from such a place are able to grasp and work with complexity and nuance and are orientated more towards growth and development.
As already mentioned it’s important to understand that it is part of our survival mechanism. The underlying function of the inner critic is almost always protective in some way and there can sometimes be a thread of truth or a deeper truth that sits underneath the judgement. Other times it’s a repeated pattern of thinking that negatively and sometimes harshly judges the self. It is the distortion, over emphasis and/or inability to disassociate the self from the inner critic that often increases suffering and impacts on our functioning in negative ways. So in considering the inner critic we need to be cautious in pathologising this part of ourselves, ultimately it is attempting to serve a protective function, albeit that in some cases or at some times it may be less than helpful!
Models of Help for the Inner Critic
There is a vast array of self-help and psychological approaches to working with the inner critical voice. Some self-help authors have named them as ‘Gremlins’ [5] or ‘Saboteurs’ [6], in order to help people to distance themselves from the inner critic and not identify with them. Similarly, therapeutic approaches look at the inner critic as part of the self-schema or as the superego. The approaches vary but almost all of them involve noticing the inner critic voice and distancing it from the self or at least separating as a part of the self. Other work includes distraction and refocusing on positive thoughts and/or challenging the validity of critical thoughts. In essence noticing, naming and distancing.
Other approaches turn towards the inner critic and in the same way focus on noticing but instead of distancing the critical voice it is accepted with compassion, explored for it’s underlying meaning/function and involves some form of dissolving or integration.
These different approaches can be seen in various self-help books on the subject, also through differing coaching, therapeutic and/or developmental approaches [7]. What is right for helping you will vary from individual to individual and your circumstances. What you might need on a journey of self-development is different than if you are in the midst of a crisis.
“Considering the universality of the inner critic what might be the impacts of such a high or low judgement culture on individuals, performance and organisational resilience?”
Final Thoughts for Leaders
I would encourage all leaders to reflect on how their inner critic impacts on them personally and in terms of their functioning as leaders. It is also worth considering how the inner critic plays a role collectively in an organisation. Not only in terms of the individuals or teams in an organisation but also the culture, norms and the standards of the organisation. What role does judgement of individuals and teams play in the organisation and how is it applied? Considering the universality of the inner critic what might be the impacts of such a high or low judgement culture on individuals, performance and organisational resilience? Given the prevalence of high levels of inner criticism amongst high achievers what are the considerations in developing new leaders and enabling them to overcome the limitations and constraints of the inner critic?
There are many more questions that I think this subject matter raises for leaders and some of these will be dependent on organisational and system context. If you found this brief post interesting and thought provoking and want to explore this further, then please contact me and let’s talk.
[1] Andersone, N. (2023) ‘Decoding the Inner Critic’s Origins and Purpose’ Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/human-inner-dynamics/202312/decoding-the-inner-critics-origins-and-purpose
[2] Rogier, G, Muzi, S, Morganti, W, Pace, C, S. (2023) ‘Self-criticism and attachment: A systematic review and meta-analysis’, Personality and Individual Differences, Vol 214
[3] Brown, B. (1999) ‘Soul without Shame’. Shambhala
[4] William J. Whelton, W, J., Greenberg, L, S. (2005) ‘Emotion in self-criticism. Personality and Individual Differences’. Vol 38, Iss 7. Pp 1583-1595
[5] Carson, R. (2007) ‘Taming Your Gremlin’. William Morrow.
[6] Chamine, S. (2012) ‘Positive Intelligence’. Greenleaf.
[7] Therapeutic approaches to the inner critic include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Positive Psychology Approaches, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Schema Therapy etc.
Image: By Melanie Wasser on Upsplash- with thanks.