When this happens, how much does it change what you do next: You read your own CV as evidence of embarrassment, not as a working record of stages and dates.

It does not change my next move

SCRIPT CHECK · 60 SECONDS

“Their publication list makes mine look embarrassing”

See what this thought is changing.

Five quick questions show how often it appears, how believable it feels, and what it makes you avoid. You’ll get one private next step.

5 questions · about 1 minute · no account needed

What this self-check measures

This is not a diagnosis and there is no pass or fail. It measures the current frequency, credibility, and behavioral cost of “Their publication list makes mine look embarrassing”, including the private rule underneath it: Under this thought, you act as if publication lists are moral report cards: if someone else’s is longer, cleaner, or more prestigious, that must mean your work is lesser and your place here is fragile.

See all result bands

QUIET

Quiet signal

“Their publication list makes mine look embarrassing” appears, but it rarely gets the final say. Keep this line available for higher-pressure moments: “Their list is not a verdict on my place here.”

PRESENT

Present in the background

“Their publication list makes mine look embarrassing” wins some small decisions before you catch it. Your useful interruption is: “My CV is a record of work, not a ranking of worth.”

ACTIVE

Active pattern

“Their publication list makes mine look embarrassing” is shaping action often enough to deserve a deliberate counterexample. Start privately and concretely: Open your CV or publication list, circle one item that is accurately labeled, and add a small note beside it: submitted, accepted, in press, or published. Then close the file without changing anything else.

DOMINANT

Getting the final word

Right now, “Their publication list makes mine look embarrassing” is steering many of the moments you measured. That is a pattern reading, not a diagnosis or character verdict. Begin with one reversible receipt: Open your CV or publication list, circle one item that is accurately labeled, and add a small note beside it: submitted, accepted, in press, or published. Then close the file without changing anything else.