Seven Types of Inner Critic

We’ve all heard the voice of our inner critic—a part of ourselves that judges, shames, and makes us feel inadequate. This critical inner voice can undermine our self-esteem and confidence, making us doubt ourselves and our actions.

In psychotherapy, a common goal is to become aware of this destructive inner voice and transform it into a more positive, compassionate, and constructive one. The way this inner critic sounds is different for everyone. Psychologists Jay Early and Bonnie Weiss have suggested that there are seven basic types of inner critics that may live within us:

• The Perfectionist
• The Taskmaster
• The Inner Controller
• The Guilt Tripper
• The Destroyer
• The Underminer
• The Molder (Conformist)

Each type of inner critic tries to protect you from real or perceived psychological or emotional threats. Understanding why this happens is key to making positive changes in the future.

Which of these critical voices sounds most like the one you sometimes hear in your own head?

The Perfectionist

This inner critic wants you to achieve absolute perfection. It often sets unrealistically high standards and always pushes you to work harder or achieve more, even if it leads to exhaustion. This critic may tell you that you’re not good enough to meet its impossible standards and wants you to always match an ideal to avoid rejection or criticism from others.

It might say things like:

• “This isn’t enough—you need to achieve more.”
• “You weren’t planning to leave things as they are, were you? You should try harder and do more.”
• “Your work isn’t good enough.”

The Inner Controller

This voice aims to monitor and control impulsive behaviors such as eating, drinking, shopping, or gambling. It often appears when someone struggles with compulsive shopping, gambling, or eating disorders. This can be a harsh, judgmental voice condemning your behavior.

The Inner Controller is often opposed by the Indulger—the voice of the addict, who fears losing their source of pleasure and urges you to give in to your impulses. Compulsive overeating and bulimia often involve an internal struggle between the Inner Controller and the Indulger. Anorexia and orthorexia are usually associated with a dominant Inner Controller.

This voice might say:

• “You’re so fat and unattractive, you just need to stop eating and starve yourself.”
• “You ate all that—you’re such a loser.”
• “You just have no willpower—you’re weak.”

The Taskmaster

This critical voice pushes you to work harder and harder. It fears you’ll fail if you don’t keep pushing yourself. Sometimes, this excessive pressure can eventually lead to procrastination, burnout, or even rebellion against such relentless hard work.

This inner critic might say things like:

• “You’re so lazy, you should be doing much more.”
• “You can sleep when you’re dead.”
• “You shouldn’t rest or take a vacation—you should work harder.”

The Underminer

This critical voice undermines your self-confidence to keep you from taking risks. It advises you not to “stick your neck out,” not to be too visible or ambitious, to protect you from failure and negative judgment from others. It focuses on your flaws and attacks your self-esteem so you won’t take risks or make changes that could actually benefit you in the long run.

This voice might say:

• “There’s no point in even trying—you’ll just fail anyway.”
• “Nothing good will come of this, so just accept it.”
• “Other people will think badly of you if something goes wrong, so don’t even risk it.”

The Destroyer

This voice can be the harshest and most critical. It directly attacks your sense of self-worth and self-esteem, making you feel deeply flawed, as if you don’t deserve to be valued, loved, or respected. Often, this is motivated by the belief that your life is worthless, meaningless, or useless. The cause of this voice is often trauma or deprivation in early childhood.

This inner voice might say things like:

• “You’re worthless and don’t deserve love or respect.”
• “You’re such a loser.”
• “You shouldn’t have been born at all.”

The Guilt Tripper

This inner voice is very focused on the past. It pays a lot of attention to past mistakes and spends time beating you up for what you did or for people you hurt. Trying to keep you from repeating past mistakes, it spends a lot of time focusing on them and punishing you. This voice is also very concerned with behavioral standards set by your family, culture, or community. It wants you to have good relationships with everyone and always makes sure you follow the rules imposed by your family, culture, or society.

The guilt-tripping inner voice might say:

• “You never should have done that—you’ll regret it forever.”
• “She’ll never forgive you for this.”
• “Why did you even say something like that?”

The Molder (Conformist)

This critical voice is very concerned with making sure you fit in with those around you. Its goal is to ensure you’re loved and respected and not rejected by your peers, family, community, or friends. This voice may push you to do things that don’t feel right to you, just so you won’t stand out and can fit into your social circle. The Molder’s voice is opposed by the Rebel and Free Spirit within you, which may urge you to act differently from those around you. As a result, this voice can prevent you from connecting with your own thoughts, feelings, and instincts.

This voice might say things like:

• “What will others say or think if you do this?”
• “Don’t make a fool of yourself—you’ll look really stupid.”
• “Just do what you’re told.”