It is not only Westerners who are harshly judgmental toward themselves, of course. We conducted a study in the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan and found that in Taiwan—where there is a strong Confucian ethic—there is also strong belief in self-criticism as a motivating force. The Confucian ideal is that you should criticize yourself in order to keep yourself in line—focusing on meeting the needs of others instead of yourself.
