Psychologist Aline Wolff is well aware of a paradox in high-performance environments: those who have little self-criticism can leave results to be desired, but those who have excessive self-criticism can do even worse.
A reference in the care of Olympic medalists, such as gymnast Rebeca Andrade, she explains in CasaFolha that self-criticism, when in the right dose, brings the dissatisfaction necessary for the athlete to improve her training, for the student to study another chapter, for the professional to resolve a doubt.
“But, when it is severe, it blinds the individual. It is as if they are in constant debt. And this causes a lot of emotional dysregulation and paralysis”, says the psychologist in the course available on the website casafolhasp.com.br.
According to Wolff, in this scenario, the individual becomes dominated by self-criticism and thinks that nothing they have done is enough — it doesn’t matter how many results that person has already achieved.
“If this severe self-criticism is not taken care of, is not modulated to form part of that individual’s internal experience at a healthy level, it has a great chance of annihilating performance”, he states.
Leader of the mental health actions of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, the psychologist teaches mental preparation and the balance of emotions in the knowledge streaming launched by Sheet last year.
To attend classes, you must be a CasaFolha subscriber. It is possible to link to the platform at casafolhasp.com.br/assine. The subscription, with a promotional discount of 67%, costs R$ 19.90 per month in the annual plan (R$ 59.90 without the promotion) and includes unlimited access to all news from Sheet on the website and in the mobile and tablet app.
Who is already a subscriber to Sheet No need for a new subscription. Just upgrade for an additional R$10 to the newspaper plan at casafolhasp.com.br/upgrade.
In total, the streaming platform already has 28 courses led by great personalities in different areas, such as former minister Pedro Malan, who explains how he analyzes the economy, Monja Coen, who talks about meditation, Spanish writer Rosa Montero, who teaches creative writing, and former player Raí, who presents the mentality of an elite athlete.
Additionally, new content is added every month. Photographer Bob Wolfenson, for example, debuted on the 16th. On the 30th, the new addition is Ivan Ralston, leader of the Tuju restaurant. Voted best chef of the year at O Melhor de São Paulo twice in a row (2024 and 2025) and owner of two Michelin stars, he runs a course on gastronomic techniques.
In Wolff’s course, she draws attention to the problems of self-criticism in high-performance environments because, in these environments, the demand is greatly reinforced by leaders and peers themselves.
“When the individual observes himself, he is imprisoned within himself. He is the first to criticize himself. He is the first to punish himself. He is the first to measure himself with a ruler that is impossible to reach”, says Wolff, who has a master’s and doctorate in sports psychology.
“And this brings a lot of harm and, worse, it brings important risks to the individual’s mental health. Severe self-criticism is at the root of depression, it is at the root of severe anxiety conditions, it is very present in complex trauma processes.”
The challenge, in these cases, is to find an adequate level of self-criticism, capable of stimulating improvements in performance, but preserving the individual’s ability to see their own value.
As she insists in several classes on her course, there is no formula for finding this dose, but it is crucial that everyone goes through a sincere process of self-knowledge.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO CASAFOLHA
To subscribe to the platform, simply go to casafolhasp.com.br/assine. The subscription, with a promotional discount of 67%, costs R$ 19.90 per month in the annual plan (R$ 59.90 without the promotion) and includes unlimited access to all news from Sheet no site e no app.
Who is already a subscriber to Sheet no need for a new subscription; just upgrade for an additional R$10 to the newspaper plan at casafolhasp.com.br/upgrade.
