Reaffirming the Self Image through Self Reflection, Self-Criticism and Imposing Restrictions upon Self – The Psychological Realm

Abstract

Several studies have shown that self-criticism and self-assurance may work in parallel and even cooperate. The purpose of this research was to test the hypothesis that, in contrast to self-esteem, which is based on a separate motivational mechanism, self-reassurance acts as a buffer between criticism of oneself and depressed symptoms.

The buffering theory of self-reassurance is supported by the finding that, at high levels of self-reassurance, the correlation between self-criticism and depression symptoms disappears. Self-esteem was not a moderator of the connection between self-criticism and depressed symptoms, despite the strong association between the two concepts. The negative effects of self-criticism and depression may be mitigated by practising self-reassurance rather than self-esteem.