Our society is sometimes described in terms of "survival of the fittest." Whether or not you agree with this characterization, you have probably noticed that life is not a series of encounters with nurturing people. A good evaluation looks for strengths and weaknesses, but more often, weaknesses receive the greater emphasis. Accepting criticism is a fact of life. How you handle it is a function

Question

of your level of self-confidence and self-esteem. If you are self-confident and have a reasonably high level of self-esteem, you should be able to handle criticism well for several reasons. First, having self-confidence means that you are aware that there are some things you do well and some things in which you do not excel. If you feel good about yourself most of the time, you are able to look at yourself objectively. Often, you are aware of your faults even before someone else points them out to you.

On the other hand, if you are insecure, you are more likely to stay within a range of activities in which you feel comfortable. You are less likely to venture out and take on new challenges. As a result, you will tend to avoid situations that are likely to expose you to criticism and, when faced with it, you will tend to react defensively or accept failure as being outside of your self-control.

a. example and explanation
b. cause-effect and explanation c. example and definition

Answer 1

b