In recent years we have witnessed a proliferation of writing on "positive psychology" that focuses on variables such as optimism, personal control, self-esteem, and personal striving. At the same time, much of recent pop psychology has emphasized the importance of overcoming different forms of self-criticism, including poor self-esteem and perfectionism. These positive or negative variables clearly influence the quality of our lives. But is self-criticism always a bad thing, and is self-enhancement really so unequivocally good? What are the costs and benefits associated with each?
In Self-Criticism and Self-Enhancement: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications, editor Edward C. Chang has enlisted over 25 distinguished psychologists and scholars who present the pros and cons of regarding self-criticism or self-enhancement as either "good" or "bad." Collectively, they illustrate the benefits of evaluating these concepts more complexly to demonstrate how negative and positive psychological variables may function as a virtue in one situation and as a vice in another situation. Drawing on the works of both philosophers and researchers, the contributors search for a deeper and broader understanding of these fundamental psychological concepts, and they evaluate their effect on individuals and the larger society.
Contributors
Foreword
—Christopher Peterson
Preface
- Introduction to Self-Criticism and Self-Enhancement: Views From Ancient Greece to the Modern World
—Edward C. Chang
I. Self-Enhancement as Good, Self-Criticism as Bad
- On the Psychological Benefits of Self-Enhancement
—Margaret A. Marshall and Jonathon D. Brown - On the Physical Health Benefits of Self-Enhancement
—Suzanne C. Segerstrom and Abbey R. Roach - On the Psychological Hazards of Self-Criticism
— Christian Holle and Rick Ingram - On Self-Criticism as Interpersonally Maladaptive
—Jill M. Holm-Denoma, Ainhoa Otamendi, and Thomas E. Joiner Jr.
II. Self-Criticism as Good, Self-Enhancement as Bad
- Defensive Pessimism as a Positive Self-Critical Tool
—Julie K. Norem - The Role of Self-Criticism in Self-Improvement and Face Maintenance Among Japanese
—Takeshi Hamamura and Steven J. Heine - On the Psychological Costs of Self-Enhancement
—C. Randall Colvin and Robert Griffo - On the Physical Health Costs of Self-Enhancement
—William M. P. Klein and Katrina L. Cooper
III. Self-Criticism and Self-Enhancement as Both Good and Bad
- A Functional Approach to Explaining Fluctuations in Future Outlooks: From Self-Enhancement to Self-Criticism
—James A. Shepperd, Patrick J. Carroll, and Kate Sweeny - On When Self-Enhancement and Self-Criticism Function Adaptively and Maladaptively
—Constantine Sedikides and Michelle Luke
IV. Clinical Implications of Self-Enhancement and Self-Criticism
- On Promoting Adaptive Self-Enhancement in Psychotherapy
—James L. Pretzer - On Promoting Adaptive Self-Criticism in Psychotherapy
— Raymond M. Bergner - Self-Criticism and Self-Enhancement: From Complexities of the Present to a Complex Future
—Edward C. Chang, Rita Chang, Lawrence J. Sanna, and Allison M. Kade
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Editor
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