Is Self-Criticism Really a Trigger of Psychological Problems? - An Analysis of Self-Criticism in the Context of Turkish University Students

Oct 15, 2026

This qualitative study examines self-criticism among graduate students in Turkey, comparing how it is understood within Western and Eastern cultural perspectives. Using open-ended questions across three stages, it explores students’ perceptions, associated concepts, and metaphors for self-criticism. Data were collected from 41 participants in stage one, 52 in stage two, and 32 in stage three. Results indicate self-criticism is generally evaluated positively in Turkish culture, and the study challenges the literature’s frequent linkage of self-criticism with psychological problems by offering a critical viewpoint on that pairing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Three Dimensions of Self-Criticism

Excessive Self-Criticism (Psychopathology)

Is Self-Criticism Really a Trigger of Psychological Problems? An Analysis of SelfCriticism in the Context of Turkish University Students Nesrullah OKAN1 Fırat University Abstract This study aims to examine the concept of self-criticism in the context of Western and Eastern cultures and to examine graduate students’ perceptions regarding this concept. When reviewing the Western literature, researchers have generally associated the idea of self-criticism with psychopathology, while researchers in Eastern cultures typically interpret the notion of self-criticism positively. This qualitative study consists of three stages and uses open-ended questions to measure the perceptions of students from different graduate programs with regard to self-criticism. The researcher asked the students about their perceptions toward self-criticism in the first stage, questions about the concepts they’d associated with self-criticism in the second stage, and questions involving metaphors about what students liken to self-criticism in the third stage. Within the scope of the research, the researcher accessed 41 students for the first stage, 52 students for the second stage, and 32 students for the third stage. In all three studies conducted within the scope of this research, it was concluded that self-criticism is not perceived negatively in Turkish culture but rather evaluated as positive. Although there have been a few negative themes, self-criticism is generally perceived as a concept that brings people well. The most crucial aspect that makes this research valuable is that it provides a critical perspective on the pairing of self-criticism with psychological problems in the psychology literature. It is understood that self-criticism is seen as an essential source of individual development in Turkish culture rather than being the source of psychological problems. When the psychology literature is examined, it is seen that self-criticism is generally considered the trigger of psychological problems. Self-criticism is regarded as a situation that harms self-esteem. However, in eastern cultures, self-criticism is accepted as a prerequisite for a healthy identity. In this study, this conclusion was reached in three stages. Keywords: Self-criticism, interview, metaphor, qualitative research, experience DOI: 10.29329/epasr.2023.525.8 Submitted:17 July 2021 Accepted: 21 April 2022 Published: 08 March 2023 1Dr., Faculty of Education, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey, ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9496-6417](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9496-6417) [Correspondence](Correspondence: nesrokan@gmail.com)[: nesrokan@gmail.com](Correspondence: nesrokan@gmail.com) Introduction Churchill said the following about self-criticism,“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” The main thing that is meant by self-criticism as a word is that criticizing oneself disturbs people at some point, but this disturbance also indicates a problem that other people have. The Turkish Language Association (TDK, 2020) defines self-criticism as “the judgment one makes about one’s own behavior.” In a way, self-criticism is a search for the reasons behind the negative situations a person experiences in the face of daily events. It can also be expressed as the ability a person has to judge themself, to take on the problems they encounter without blaming others, and to direct the necessary criticisms regarding these problems. Undoubtedly, seeing one’s own mistakes and learning from them is a positive critical situation for human maturity. However, when considering the limits of self-criticism, using the phrase “double-edged sword” would not be wrong. As such, addressing self-criticism under three categories will facilitate how to understand and use self-criticism correctly. The first of these categories is excessive self-criticism, the second is

FAQs

What does the study aim to investigate about self-criticism?

It examines self-criticism in the context of Western and Eastern cultures and evaluates graduate students’ perceptions of the concept.

How were the students’ perceptions measured in the research design?

Through open-ended questions administered in three stages: perceptions in stage one, associated concepts in stage two, and metaphors likening self-criticism in stage three.

What conclusion does the study reach regarding self-criticism in Turkish culture?

Self-criticism is generally not perceived negatively; it is mostly evaluated as positive, even though a few negative themes appear.

Oct 15, 2026

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