Learning intentions
- Explore attitudes towards making comparisons to others
- Discuss ways of managing comparisons and self-criticism.
Junior cycle
15 minutes
Minding myself and others.
Olivia's story
In this scenario Olivia is going through a tough time. What is going on for Olivia and why might she be comparing herself to others?
Watch this scenario in class and ask students to discuss Olivia's story, write down reflections or answer questions from the discussion prompt below.
Classroom discussion
Olivia is experiencing self-critical thoughts which are rarely true, and often overly harsh.
- Divide the class into groups of two to consider Olivia’s situation.
- If you think, “Olivia’s a total idiot and will mess up all her exams,” respond with “let’s look at the evidence”. On a piece of paper write down all the proof you have that points to her failure.
- On the other side of the page, list all the evidence against it. For example, you can list other exams she has passed.
Sit back and look at the evidence on both sides. That should give you a more rational and clearer view. If there are obstacles ahead, plan how Olivia’s going to tackle them.
Dealing with self-criticism
Too many of us are quietly, privately, hard on ourselves. We walk around with an inner critic, telling us we’re not ‘good enough’ and never amount to anything.
Download and print this article from Jigsaw, (without images) to use for a group discussion in class. It also contains three helpful exercises to deal with self-criticism.
Download
Being the best
Body image and mental health
