Thanks @marynet. I remember also being reluctant to receive criticism, but I also had desire for personal growth, so maybe that evened me out. And maybe also starting to get criticism from people other than my parents helped too, haha.

I know what you mean, that it feels like a force of the times. It's weird how we're simultaneously victims and culprits of social influences, especially when we're played against each other by elites. Hell is other people, says Sartre, but it's all we got...