…negative thoughts toward ourselves and others we refer to as the critical inner voice. The inner voice undermines us and limits our capacity to pursue and accomplish the things we want in life. Whenever we face challenges or go after a dream, this inner critic is there to hold us back and scare us with possibilities of failure. It encourages us to be self-protective and not put ourselves out there or take chances. Though everyone is faced with st…
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The “Critical Inner Voice” describes 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 and self-destructive behavior. This hostile, judgmental advisor also warns us about ot…
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…high, we often set ourselves up to later become a target for our critical inner voice. We start to have self-critical thoughts like: What is wrong with you? You never give 100 percent to anything. Can’t you just get one thing right? You’re such a failure! Even when times are tough or the pressure being placed on us is external, we can seek out an inner sense of calm by quieting those inner voices that exacerbate the problem. This is not meant to…
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…t of people struggle with low self-esteem. We all carry around a “critical inner voice” that tends to put us down. This “voice” tends to shift our focus inward, insulting us, assessing our every move, and interfering with our relationships. What does our inner critic do? Unlike a conscience, this inner critic doesn’t motivate positive or prosocial behavior. Instead, it turns us against ourselves, making us second guess our actions and underestimat…
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Dr. Christine Courtois talks about the critical inner voice and its effect on a person’s capacity for self-compassion. The following transcript contains part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Firestone and Dr. Christine Courtois. CC The whole issue of self-esteem and self-blame I find is so deeply embedded that it just takes a lot to be able to get there. You mentioned self-compassion. And a lot of the patients that I work with – they can’t…
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…about our (my father, Dr. Robert Firestone, and my) work on the “critical inner voice,” a self-destructive thought process we all possess. The host started the show by talking about all the media attention on terrorism and the fear we, as a nation, were feeling following the attacks of 9/11. She ended her introduction by saying, “But what if the worst enemy we face is the one residing inside ourselves, the critical inner voice?” I found her state…
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…stacles they will encounter in life… their own inner critic. The “critical inner voice” is a concept I’m often introducing to new audiences. It’s the cornerstone of a theory and therapy technique developed by my father psychologist and author Dr. Robert Firestone. It is the basis of a book we co-authored titled Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice and the subject of many of my lectures, Webinars and my upcoming six-week eCourse “Overcome Your Inner C…
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…ing within our power is impossible, that is a sure sign that our “critical inner voice” has taken the wheel. This critical inner voice is the language of our defense system. It is based on negative attitudes we were exposed to early in our lives that we’ve identified with and internalized. Challenging our voices can shake up our entire sense of identity. It can make us feel unsafe, as it often means exposing painful aspects of our past that we may…
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…arise along the way. The first enemy you will encounter is your “critical inner voice.” The critical inner voice is like a nasty coach that lives inside our heads. It consists of negative thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that oppose our best interests and diminish our self-esteem. It is our own worst enemy. This inner critic evaluates our every move, puts us down and undermines our desires with thoughts like: ”You don’t really want that, do you?”;…
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…tive, self-critical thoughts. These thought patterns make up the “critical inner voice (CIV),” an internalized enemy that leads to self-destructive thought processes and behaviors. This inner critic feeds into our feelings of isolation, encouraging us to avoid others and remain in a lonely state. Although our critical inner voices may tell us otherwise, in reality, there is nothing inherently wrong with us that leads us to be lonely. It is a commo…
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