Taking Control: Buffering the Destructive Influence of the Inner Critic when Faced with Stress at Work – What you do counts!

This thesis investigates how self-criticism impacts performance and career satisfaction at work. It shows that self-criticism plays a key role in how work-related stress leads to poorer outcomes, especially for those who struggle to stay focused and take action under pressure (low action orientation). It also demonstrates that this inner capacity can be strengthened through targeted training. The findings challenge the idea that traits like action orientation are fixed and offer a practical, research-backed framework for reducing self-criticism and improving performance and satisfaction in high-stress work environments.