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Show Criticism Not Easy to Take Even with Praise simple answers in coping with criticism, but objective evaluation can help. Dr. McBride can be seen every Wednesday on Channel 11 's "Newsroom" at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. If you have a question or topic you would like Dr. McBride Mc-Bride to discuss in his column, write: Dr. M. Ford McBride, 1161 East 300 North, Nor-th, Provo, Utah 8460i. Dr. Ford McBride Timpanogos Community Mental Health Center Have you ever heard of the sandwich method of criticism? First give a compliment com-pliment like the bottom piece of bread in a sandwich. Then put in your criticism like the meat of the sandwich. And finally cover it up with another an-other deserved compliment. It doesn't matter which approach is used, criticism is never easy to take. All of us have had the experience of being criticized and finding it difficult to deal with. No one likes to be reminded of faults. There isn't much we can do to change our critics but we can change our response to, criticism is to evaluate it objectively. ob-jectively. This is easier said than done. A friend of mine bought an inexpensive spiral notebook and wrote down what people criticized him for. At first, he was apprehensive; ap-prehensive; it seemed like such a negative thing to do. However, he found that by writing a criticism down and thinking about it he could decide for himself whether his critics were right. He also found it was easier to make changes if the criticism was justified. There are several other ways of coping with criticism. Here are some guidelines: One, determine whether the criticism is really directed at you. It may be the person doing the criticizing is upset about someone else and taking his anger out on you. Two, how competent is the critic? Is your neighbor's criticism of your taste in home furnishings valid if she doesn't know the difference between a Picasso and a planter box? On the other hand, if your boss criticizes ' your sales report, listen. Three, why are you being criticized? What are the critic's motives? Keep in mind that criticism often reflects the critics own fears. Four, is your critic right? If you've heard a certain criticism many times before, it might just be true. Be honest with yourself. Unfortunately there are no |