There are exactly 2 kinds of criticism in this world:
- That which benefits you.
- That which does not.
You'll only know by applying it. And mind you, not all of #1 is "constructive". Destructive criticism can have positive self-effects: some people are fired up to prove themselves, while others grow a tougher skin. Both of these effects are favorable.
#2 is most criticism. Someone doesn't understand your life situation well enough, or doesn't comprehend the specifics of what's going on. It "sounds nice", but that's practically useless — not meant in a cruel way, just stating it for simplicity.
In the end, relatively speaking, it's not the criticism that mattered. It's what you did with it.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I would argue that all criticism is good criticism and therefore beneficial. Having no criticism can not benefit you – simply by nature of it not being there. I can't think of an instance where I would choose to receive nothing at all over even the most uninformed criticism. Don't think I'm being contrary for the sake of argument – Someone simply saying "that's great" or "that sucks" is practically useless in the grand scheme of things. But it's when no one tells me that I suck that I become concerned
I vaguely remember a really long blog post on this by you awhile back, Torley. It was really helpful.
@J Wright: That's even more optimistic — but some people are very bothered by negative criticism they receive, and in a disturbed state of mind, can't make use of it. Whether *you* can make use of such criticism to benefit your means/end… is really up to you!
I like to see followup and reasoning, e.g., if someone says "I suck", then what do they *like*, and *why*?
@Thattagen: Yes, one of my main idea thoughtlines! And I'll keep approving your comments as I spot them, pardon my spam filter is being such a jerk to you.