Concepts
Health psychology/Cognitive distortions · CBT distortion
Should statements
What it means
Rigid rules about how oneself or others ought to behave; violation produces guilt (about self) or anger/frustration (about others).
Worked example
"I should never make mistakes."
In the exam
A perfectionist trainee is racked with guilt whenever he falls short of his rule that he "should always know the answer".
What settles it
Should statements impose rigid moral rules. Labelling attaches a fixed global identity ("I am a failure") rather than a rule.
Classically confused with
Labelling
Source: Burns; CBT