My wife dresses impeccably. If I criticized her ability to pick a good outfit, or told her that she has no clue how to dress, she would scoff. When you are criticized about something that isn’t true, it may not be fair, but it doesn’t hurt our self-perception.

Conversely, if I criticized her for something that was true (even in part), the reaction would not be a scoff. She would be defensive. She would be argumentative. She would be angry.

Are we  all wired this way? Observe yourself. When you get criticized, does it hurt? If so, it is probably true.