The concept of criticism can refer to the judgment pronounced on a work or an issue. Constructive, on the other hand, is that which is useful for building.
A constructive criticism, in this framework, is an evaluative expression that is shared with the aim of helping another person. The intention is to get the other to make a positive change, obtaining benefits from said change.
For example: “Can I give you some constructive criticism? You are using the wrong paint, it is better to use synthetic enamel to paint this type of surface since it has greater durability”, “The player stated that he values constructive criticism”, “When he was young he did not pay attention to constructive criticism, but with the time I realized that I was wrong”.
Constructive criticism aims to help improve.
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Constructive criticism vs. destructive criticism
Human beings have a natural tendency to express their opinions and thoughts in order to influence others. When a criticism is made, it is possible to take into account the interests and needs of others or, on the contrary, to want to impose the personal vision and overthrow the opinion of the other. In the first case, we speak of constructive criticism, while in the second it is usually referred to as destructive criticism.
An editor may instruct a writer not to develop very long paragraphs as they are difficult to follow. It also recommends using short sentences so that your texts have a greater impact. These comments can be considered as constructive criticism. On the other hand, if an editor tells an author that he should change his profession because his material is very poor and nobody is interested, it is destructive criticism.
While constructive criticism seeks to bring about positive change, destructive criticism aims to harm.
A common mechanism
Every day we are faced with the opinions of others, from the moment we read the news in the morning until we review it again before going to bed, through all the moments in which we deal directly with other people or interact with the different information channels available through from Internet. Criticism is a very common tool in today’s communication, if not the most common of all.
Far from being a vain attempt to invade other people’s space, criticism is an almost natural mechanism that allows us to put into words our sensations and our feelings regarding the world around us, external stimuli. However, many people have a profound difficulty accepting the opinions of others, largely due to a fear of facing their own shortcomings and shortcomings, or perhaps because they believe that they do not have the capacity to improve.
Receiving constructive criticism
It is important to point out that a friendly comment is not the same as a negative one, a constructive criticism than a destructive one. While the first arises from a generous and altruistic attempt to do us good, the second aims to annul us. Although it is very difficult for us to learn to deal with the opinions of others, we should learn to assimilate them regardless of their nature.
Every time we receive a destructive criticism, we have the option to get depressed, to allow the other to achieve his twisted goals of undermining our self- esteem, or to take advantage of his words to review our behavior and see if they are right, if we can become better people from them.
In the face of constructive criticism we should always show ourselves open, without fear of questioning our certainties, since it is in this way that we can continue to grow. No matter the age, the amount of experiences we have gone through, there is endless knowledge that awaits us just around the corner, many traits of our personality that we could improve, new goals that we could set ourselves to develop ourselves, and many times the light is precisely in a good constructive criticism.
