Constructive Criticism Vs. Destructive Criticism

In any kind of social media platform, criticism is part of the game. You can't prohibit anyone to leave comments on your post or work may it be encouraging or destructive criticism. Swallowing criticism is hard especially if you did your best to do a good job but constructive criticism is important as praise as it will help you grow as a person, employee, or what you want to be.

But there are commentators who are not aware of what they are doing. They lack self-awareness or they simply don't know the difference between constructive criticism vs. destructive criticism. It made me inspired to write this piece to give those users ideas of the difference between constructive and destructive criticism.

Constructive Vs. Destructive Criticism

Constructive criticism offers room for growth feedback while destructive criticism destroys self-esteem and mockery of our failures. As a person who's giving feedback to someone else, you should be mindful of what you are saying whether you are giving constructive or destructive feedback.

Constructive Criticism

Here's how you identify constructive criticism:

• Feedback or comments is focused on the situation, not on the person. Feedback should just talk about the situation or the object, not the person, to avoid being too personal.

• Feedback or comments are straightforward about the issue or situation without too many sweet talks or overly positive comments.

• Feedback or comments help improve the person by providing a certain actionable and clear direction for that someone to work on.

• Feedback is given privately to avoid shaming or crashing someone's self-esteem.

• Includes positive comments on the situation at the end of the feedback like "overall you did a good job, you just have to improve this and that to make it great!" or " you can learn anything you want until you find what you really like."

• It does not adhere to toxic positivity, like forcing positive comments that it's not appropriate for the situation anymore.

• Feedbacks are conversational instead of enforcing your own beliefs or point of view like "just do this instead of that" it tries to fit on that someone's shoes showing respect for what they like to pursue.

• Feedback and comments are timely on the current issues without inserting things that already happen in the past.

• It maintains a friendly tone and body language. If it is in the virtual world, it is mindful of the "emojis" being used.

Please be aware of how to properly use emojis in your comments. There are emojis for a friendly tone and for mocking. It is called emoji as it relies on your emotion, if you don't know how to use proper emojis in giving comments, then you are emotionally confused or ignorance is your bestfriend.

Destructive Criticism

Here's how to identify destructive criticism:

• Feedbacks or comments are in form of personal attacks.

• Used to degrade someone or crushed their self-esteem by letting them question their capabilities. For example: "You should do this instead of that." the commenters are enforcing their own illusion on someone without thinking "is this what they really like?"

• Done publicly. Instead of approaching that someone privately, it is done publicly. The worst is tagging someone to call their attention. It is considered shaming.

• Giving feedback that isn't specific and actionable.

• Being sarcastic in their feedback and using mockery words or laughing emojis.

Lead Image: Unsplash via Brooke Cagle

Final Thoughts

Those are the difference between constructive and destructive criticism. Constructive is meant to help the person improve while destructive means destroying someone else self-esteem.

At some point in our lives, we commit mistakes, like giving destructive criticism to someone without noticing it. It is fine, nobody is perfect and we are all at fault but doing the same thing over and over again is a different story. You are acting superior to anyone and thinking you are better than them is a sign that you have some mental issues.

Please be mindful of your criticism, and think it through before clicking the submit button!

P.S.

I've been receiving comments from a user, although it is not that offensive but kinda full of themselves. I can handle critics, and I even voice out whatever is in my mind as long as it stands my ground, but recently I realize spending time on argumentative issues is not worth my time or I just don't care anymore.

I am at the point of my life wherein if you say " 1+1= 11", I'll agree not because I don't know the answer but because I'm too tired of dealing with you!