A compliment is congratulation or praise.
From the Latin elogium , a praise is the praise of the merits and positive qualities of a person, an object, or a concept . Praise consists of a statement that can be made both privately and publicly.
For example: "I am surprised to receive such praise from someone like you" , "The press did not spare praise when describing the Chilean tennis player's performance" , "They always say that I am a temperamental man, which I consider a compliment" .
Positive effects of praise
Praise has a positive effect on the mental health of the individual who receives it, since it produces a positive influence on our personality and character. Some psychologists maintain that giving and receiving praise is healthy and beneficial, as it helps improve self-esteem.
If a person starts working and, at the end of their first week of work, receives praise from their boss, it is likely that they will feel motivated to continue working with enthusiasm and good disposition.
Many times praise is a recognition of merit or achievement.
The criticism
The opposite of praise is criticism . If the subject in the previous example receives a negative comment, a destructive criticism, on his first day at work , he will most likely become demotivated and feel strong pressure that will end up harming his performance.
In some cases, praise and criticism have little or no influence on the individual. People who suffer from autism or schizophrenia , for example, are not very permeable to verbal stimuli.
Praise and balance
The use of praise and criticism reflects the subjectivity of the person who utters them. What may be complimentary to one may go unnoticed or seem negative to another. Furthermore, not everyone appreciates positive comments about their work, no matter how difficult it may be for others to believe; Those who grow up in an environment that highlights each of their achievements, each virtue, that celebrates their successes without exception, tend to generate a kind of rejection of praise and seek, instead, challenges.
This is not to say that constantly praising someone is necessarily negative; As in other cases, balance is usually the ideal basis for the use of this type of affirmations. If an individual close to us usually acts admirably, it doesn't hurt to point it out and celebrate it; However, it is likely that behind each success there are weak points, small failures, and gently highlighting them so that he can resolve them in the future can be very productive for him.
At the opposite extreme of people whose relationship with their elders is based on praise during their upbringing, there are those who see nothing but reproaches and censure from their first years of life, and this cannot be positive either. In general, a childhood with these characteristics generates deep insecurity and a very intense need for approval , which reaches adulthood.
Lack of praise can be as counterproductive as too much; It all depends on the way in which this imbalance is approached. However, it should be noted that the same situation can cause absolutely different reactions in two people, which is why there is no single formula to solve the problems just exposed.
An essay by Erasmus of Rotterdam
"In Praise of Folly" is the title of one of the most important essays in Western literature, and one of the driving forces of the Protestant Reformation. It is a work written by Erasmus of Rotterdam (a well-known Dutch philosopher and philologist) that was published in 1511.
In short, it presents in a sarcastic tone certain benefits of madness (which is personified and exposes its virtues in front of an audience) over reason, such as the fact that foolish people feel more happiness than sensible and responsible people.