A Conversation About the Role of Humiliation in Teaching: The Ugly, the Bad, and the Good

In this Invited Commentary, the authors identify the ugly, the bad, and the good in teaching in medical education, based on their experiences as medical students and then educators. They reflect on the mistreatment they endured during medical school and its impact on their education and their careers as educators. They also highlight those exemplars from their training who role modeled the type of physician and educator they want to be. The authors conclude by describing the elements of learner-centered education that they practice, which may be helpful for others to consider, and call on their fellow educators to end the practice of humiliating learners by moving away from a controlled-motivation model toward an autonomy-supportive approach to education.