Having an opinion is very different from belittling.

Greetings

There is a thin line between judging and criticism because both judging and criticism might seem like the same concepts but they are in no way the same thing.

I had to seek out the definitions of both concepts and here's what I got from the internet.

Judging refers to the act of forming an opinion or making a decision about someone or something based on limited information or preconceived notions. Judging can be neutral, and it's a natural part of human cognition. We all judge people, situations, and ideas to some extent, and it's not always negative.

Criticism is the act of analyzing, evaluating, or judging the quality, merit, or value of something, such as an idea, a work of art, a performance, or a person's behavior.

While it might look like judging is criticism, I should point out the fact that criticism can be positive or negative and it is its expression that matters.

Judging others is human nature. A lady steps into a hall full of guests, you better believe that she would be judged by all in the room. Some would judge her outfit, her appearance, her beauty or ugliness, her bad timing or tardiness and some people might judge her as being a snob. The fact is that the people in the hall already would form an opinion about the lady who just walked in.

On the other hand, judging is different from destructive criticism because while judging is neutral and without bias, destructive criticism is focused on damaging the character of a person. It's tone is aggressive and the impact is often traumatic.

Take the conversations below as an example.

Mr Bello: ”I don't think this report is well-organized. Let's work on improving its structure”. (Judging)

Mr Ade ”This report is a disaster! You clearly have no idea what you're doing!! You're not cut out for this job!!!” (Destructive criticism)

From the above illustration, you can see a big difference between judging and destructive criticism. Destructive criticism is not fun at all and it does not lead to productivity at all; rather it breeds resentment, bitterness and anger among colleagues.

No one wants to be de-humanized or put down for an error. When mistakes are made, help and solutions is what is needed, not belittling.

Pen down ✍️.

I appreciate your time on my blog.

Image source: Meta Ai