7 Types of Inner Critics (Part 1)

3 Jul

This 7 part series is inspired by the Inner Critic work from Jay Earley, PhD and Bonnie Weiss, LCSW. I have spent decades getting to know my inner critics and I think it’s brilliant the way they have separated them.

Each month I will write about one of the 7 inner critics they have identified. Then I will share writing tools to get to know these parts better, to find humor with these parts, and to shine a light on the many personalities living inside of us.

For this month I’ll give you a preview of the crafty characters we will be talking about.

Here are the 7 Inner Critics:

Perfectionist
• It tries to make sure that you fit in and that you will not be judged or rejected.
Guilt-Tripper
• It tries to protect you from repeating past mistakes by making sure you never forget or feel free.
Underminer
• It makes direct attacks on your self-worth so that you will stay small and not take chances where you could be hurt or rejected.
Destroyer
• It shames you and makes you feel inherently flawed and not entitled to basic understanding or respect.
Conformist
• It wants you to be liked and admired and to protect you from being abandoned, shamed or rejected.
Taskmaster
• It fears that you may be mediocre or lazy and will be judged a failure if it does not push you to keep going.
Inner Controller
• It is motivated to try to make you a good person who is accepted and functions well in society.

Each week I’ll share a yoga pose or a writing exercise that you can do to change your relationship with that part of you.

For this week, identify the inner critics that speak the loudest inside of you.

Maybe it’s one, you lucky duck.

Maybe it’s all of them, join the team!

Step 1: Write Down Your Inner Critics

Perfectionist
Guilt-Tripper
Underminer
Destroyer
Conformist
Taskmaster
Inner Controller

Lucky me, they are all active in my brain.

Step 2: Write ONE Letter to Your Inner Critic or Critics

You can say anything you’d like to them. Just set a timer for 5-15 minutes and tell your inner critic how you feel about them. If you’ve got a lot of them active in your brain, maybe just speak to them as one team. Here’s an example of my letter below.

Hello Inner Critics,

You all make for a robust team of protectors. I know at the core you’ve all adapted to keep me safe, however, you’ve stopped doing that and you’re getting in the way of us moving forward. That’s why we’re going to change.

For now, I’m deeply aware that you’re all here and thank you for doing your best to watch out for me over the years. You have been working tirelessly!

You can rest now. I know you don’t believe that, but I’m going to show you that I’m safe now. You can rest.

Together we can create new stories, new characters, and you can take a break. I promise!

Love Always,

Danielle Mallett