How All-or-Nothing Thinking Fuels Perfectionism, Fear of Failure, and Toxic Shame

Send us Fan Mail Liz breaks down the cognitive trap of all-or-nothing (either/or) thinking—seeing life as black-or-white—and explains how it increases suffering by driving rigid self-judgment and critical self-talk. Drawing on psychometrics work and her root-analysis approach, she frames thinking traps as symptoms that reveal deeper “weeds,” most often perfectionism, pride/need to be right, fear of failure, and difficulty giving grace, which ultimately trace back to toxic shame. Liz illustrat...