We’ve all been a victim of criticism at some point or the other in our life. Most of the time it turns out that instead of constructive criticism, people criticize to judge others and make them feel low to satiate their own egos or out of jealousy.

People do not really care how others feel when harshly spoken to, they do not put themselves in the shoes of the other person and think of how the person might feel.

One may be experimenting something new but another cruel being may demean their excitement with some unkind words. The world is a mean place and there is no need for reminders for that!  

The reasons for criticism are quite vain amongst some people, mostly all actually. Some use it as a weapon to hurt the opposite person so that they do not feel threatened by their qualities. A conscious defence mechanism you could call it, and yet a very insensitive one.

They feel that by attacking one’s weaknesses they can bring them down to their own level.

It could also be because they feel like they deserve a special treatment which they are not receiving. In this case, they become so self-centred that they feel that the person should treat them well and should be at their service – and if you don’t oblige, they will criticize you to make you feel bad. 

There are people who even criticize when they want themselves to look good in front of someone else. They absolutely do not need to pretend to look cool, yet they do this kind of a petty act to make themselves look like the smarter/better one. It could also be a revenge strategy.

To feel powerful is a temptation most cannot resist and hence the pettiness. 

On the other hand, some even criticize and think that they are doing you a huge favour. It would only classify as constructive criticism if spoken in a positive sense without hurting you but they are not that wise to construct their sentences that way. As a result, the thing which they feel might be good for you turns out to be something highly negative.

Reverse psychology can also tell why people criticize. It might be the case that people are not really jealous in a negative way but actually admire some qualities in a person. They are unable to express their emotions properly and end up criticizing the qualities that they admire.

This is just a poor social skill which backfires. But the person on the receiving end obviously does not have a clue and might rightfully take offence. 

They might even rebuke you to reaffirm their position as the most knowledgeable person in that field. They know you are right but will not allow you the opportunity to be so. It is a result of their excessive want for attention. Attention is something that people even seek by asserting and hence criticizing instead of using their proper social or emotional skills to put forward their point. 

So you see, people do not always mean the worst for you. Their skill of communication might fail them and lead you to feel agitated or hurt by their insensitive comments.

The best thing for you to do in all situations where people criticize is to smile and ignore. Later, think about it just once if you feel that it might be helpful and learn to judge for yourself the validity of what the person said. You are your only judge and nobody should have the power to discourage you at all!