On page 422 of President Nixon: Alone in the White House, Richard Reeves comments on Richard Nixon's approach to criticism:
"The
President's defensiveness was a personal thing, a measure of his
extraordinary introversion. In fact, Richard Nixon was a man closed to
critics but open to criticism----as long as it was private and only on
paper."
I can somewhat identify with this. I'd definitely prefer
to be criticized in private rather than in front of people. On whether I
prefer to be criticized on paper or in person, it depends on the
criticism, I suppose. I admit that I am sensitive to criticism, but
there are some forms of criticism that are less painful to me than
others. I realize, after all, that I am not perfect, and that there are
many things that I can do better. Constructive, informed criticism
that is not mocking of me or extremely insulting is what I prefer when it comes to criticism.