Effects of Self-Criticism and Its Relationship with Depression across Cultures

“However, this assertion has been recently called into question by cultural psychologists (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, 1994), and by the cross-cultural investigation of self-criticism on depression.”

“The wording of the questionnaires developed for the Japanese sample was translated and back-translated by a bilingual and bicultural professional to ensure cross-cultural equivalence in meaning (Brislin, 1970).”

“Heine et al. (1999) recognized that self-criticism plays a key role for East Asians in their endeavor to better themselves and maintain good face.”

“RMSEA values between 0.1 and 0.08 represent a mediocre fit; values between 0.08 and 0.05 indicate a reasonable fit; and those under 0.05 signify a fit that is close to approximating the population (Byrne, 2001).”

“96, were retained for model parsing (Hatcher, 1994).”

“Kitayama, Mesquita, and Karasawa (2006) demonstrated that Japanese people were more likely to experience socially engaging emotions (which are linked to one’s interdependence, e.g., friendly feelings and guilt) than socially disengaging emotions (which are linked to one’s independence, e.g., pride…”

“Face can be understood as a communal property that is loaned from societies to individuals who occupy particular positions in social networks (Mao, 1994).”

“However, this assertion has been recently called into question by cultural psychologists (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, 1994), and by the cross-cultural investigation of self-criticism on depression.”

“The Japanese, unlike people in the United States, more readily endorse negative self-characteristics (Heine & Lehman, 1995, 1999) and prefer avoidance-type, as opposed to dominant-type, communication strategies (Kim, 2002).”

“Furthermore, a self-critical attitude and orientation enable the individual to fully participate in mutually sympathetic social relations (Kitayama & Markus, 2000).”

“This personality style is implicated in poor personal and social functioning and adjustment throughout adolescence and adulthood (Blatt, 2004).”

“In contrast, Americans were more likely to experience socially disengaging emotions than socially engaging emotions (Mesquita & Karasawa, 2002).”

“Researchers often discuss individuals’ experiences with critical, rejecting parents who display inconsistent love (Thompson & Zuroff, 2004).”

“Americans more readily endorse positive self-characteristics and prefer more dominant and more direct (as opposed to avoidance) communication strategies (Kim, 2002).”

“These experiences then have an impact on subsequent interpersonal interactions, thereby leading to a high level of depression (Blatt et al., 1993).”

“More fine-grained research is needed to determine if the associations between self-criticism and depressive symptoms hold true across ethnic and racial groups, as these links may vary depending on the degree to which one’s culture is individualistic versus collectivistic (Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013).”

“Simply put, a certain degree of self-criticism can serve an adaptive function toward self-improvement and preservation of social relationships in a predominantly interdependent culture (Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Yamaguchi et al., 2014; Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013).”

“Maternal criticism in adolescence may relate to greater perceived criticism and self-criticism, which in turn increases the likelihood of subsequent depression and anxiety, such as feeling hopeless and devalued (Bolton, Barrowclough & Calam, 2009; Nelemans et al., 2014; Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013).”

“[29] In Iran, the validity and reliability of self‑criticism were calculated using Cronbach’s alpha.”

“In a more recent study (Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013), the reliability of this scale has been reported at a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90.”

“It is also connected to broader psychological issues, such as depression (Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013), stress and cognitive disturbances (Longe et al., 2010), mood swing (Falconer et al., 2015), as well as emotional dysregulation and failure to adhere treatment regimens (Duarte et al., 2017).”

“Furthermore, due to the act that the comorbidity of depressive disorder with obsessivecompulsive disorder has been confirmed in many studies (18), the present study aims to investigate the self-criticism in people with major depressive and obsessive disorder and how it differs from ordinary people.”

“…with others who are seen to be in a better position, or as better, more handsome, more successful, superior, etc. Excessive self-criticism is not desirable, and is associated with fragile self-esteem, fear of failure and control, but also the problems of depression (Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013).”

“Student researchers also described criticism from others in the lab as unhelpful for depression; individuals with depression are often extremely self-critical, so when others are also critical, it can be particularly detrimental to their mental health (Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013).”

“Kritik diri mendapatkan perhatian yang meningkat sebagai penanda kerentanan pribadi terhadap depresi dan gangguan psikologis lain pada remaja dan orang dewasa (Yamaguchi & Kim, 2013), karakteristik ini dikaitkan dengan harga diri yang rapuh dan ketakutan akan kegagalan.”