Don’t Resist Taking Feedback from your Supervisor. How to Overcome the Inhibition?

The hesitation to ask for the feedback can be because of many reasons from the end of the supervisor. Here are some of the key causes because of which the researcher may hesitate to take criticism:

1. The burden on the supervisor: If you have to repeatedly ask your supervisor to go through your content, and give the response then you may feel the guilt that you are imposing your work on your supervisor, who otherwise is also loaded with work most of the time. But you need to remind yourself that it is a choice that your supervisor has made, to agree to look at your work. You should be prepared, and be aware of what you want, to make things easier.
2. Absenteeism of supervisor:  Sometimes finding mutually agreeable time can be a challenge, and repeatedly trying to do that can make you sick. You must try your best to make sure that your guide is giving your work the kind of time, and effort that it deserves.  If no, you must discover other ways to solve the problem. If required, you may involve the head of the department, or if you can find other sources whose feedback could help you, you should look for those alternatives.
3. Fear and self-doubt about your work: There is no creative work that is without self-doubt or a feeling of inhibition. But the best way to overcome this feeling of anxiety about the work is, to face the criticism and try to improvise. If your target is to get the job done well, you must deal with the weaknesses of the work, and what more needs to be done to further improvise on its quality.
4. Safeguarding your own self: Some of the people only give negative feedback, and to avoid that you may not want to show your work to them. But that is not the way. A lot of supervisors do not tell you what is good in your work because they assume that you already know what the positive aspects of your work are, and there isn’t a need to tell you about it. Accept that perspective gracefully and do not expect positive statements about your work, if your supervisor doesn’t have the nature to do so. If still, it doesn’t work to settle you down then look for another feedback from a source that would give you a balanced perspective.