The Top Twelve Traits of the Inner Critic

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The Top Twelve Traits of the Inner Critic
by Hal Stone, Ph.D. & Sidra Stone, Ph.D.

) … it constricts your ability to be creative.

) … it stops you from taking risks because it makes you fear failure.

) … it views your life as a series of mistakes waiting to happen.

) … it compares you unfavorably to others and makes you feel “less than”.

) … it is constantly warning you not to look foolish.

) … it is terrified of being shamed and so monitors all your behavior to avoid this.

) … it causes you to suffer from low self-esteem, and possibly depression, because it tells you that you are not good enough.

) … it can make looking at yourself in a mirror or shopping for clothes miserable because of its ability to create such a negative view of the body.

) … it can take all the fun out of life with its criticisms.

) … it makes self-improvement an unpleasant chore rather than a chance to grow—because its basic premise is that something is wrong with you.

) … it doesn’t allow you to take in the good feelings that other people have towards you.

) … it makes you susceptible—and often victim—to the judgments of other people.