Is your "inner critic" an actual demon?

[johnz123]

I hear a lot about the “inner critic”, “judge”, or “superego” in modern psychology. This is the voice inside your head that criticizes you, demeans you, puts you down, and compares yourself to others. It was formed (so the theory goes) as a coping mechanism when you were a small child. It is also an internalization of all the mean things people said to you when you were young. I’ve read several books about this and they seem to imply that this voice inside your head is a part of you, but not you. Instead it is something else. I wonder if this is actually demon? Or perhaps “inner critic” is influenced by a demon, in which case an exorcism would be an appropriate solution. This blog post talks about this: Exorcising the Inner Critic Demon – Infinite Ocean . Note that the author is just a layman, not a psychologist, but he does talk about Ronald Fairbairn’s (a famous scottish psychologist) theories. I’m wondering what you think?

 

[Theban]

Psychology is not an exact science, and so there is naturally going to be some disagreement on the causes of certain illnesses. As Catholics we do acknowledge the existence and influence of demons, but since demonology isn’t an exact science either, it’s impossible to draw any definite line as to whether an illness is always caused by a demon or not. It is generally accepted that symptoms like hearing voices and the like can occur naturally, and do not require demonic influence.

If someone is suspecting that their mental illness is caused by demonic activity, then all they have to do is to contact their diocese for an appointment with the exorcist. The exorcist will not perform an exorcism if there is no clear proof of a demon being present, and if he can’t find any such proof then there is no demon present.

 

[TK421]

It’s not an either/or scenario.

There are spiritual explanations for why things happen and there are physical/biological explanations for why things happen. A Catholic can study and understand these things simultaneously without discomfort or choosing between them at the exclusion of the other.

 

[johnz123]

I agree with this. It definitely can be a both/ and issue. It’s just very interesting to me because everyone, whether they are psychotic or not has voices in there head. Many people aren’t even aware these voices. I’m just curious where these voices come from.

 

[Brian_K]

It sounds to me like the voice of our conscience, but since none of us is perfect this side of heaven, our inner critic over-criticizes some things, gives others a pass, tries to justify some things that maybe shouldn’t be, etc. I read somewhere that a critical shift in our spiritual life happens when we listen less to this inner critic and turn the conversation to God.

My own struggle is with resentments, either because I was too cowardly to confront someone and ask them to clarify something I took as criticism, or because I over-react to perceived insults and then try to justify my reaction. I’m noticing more and more when this happens that it’s the time to go to God and simply say, “Ok, what is/was Your will? I can’t seem to sit right with this situation, which tells me something’s wrong, and at least part of it is probably my own fault” This has brought me more peace recently, but there’s a LOT of work yet to do.