Personalization is a kind of [[Distorted thinking]] where we have the tendency to relate everything around us to ourselves. For example, thinking that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to us. We also compare ourselves to others, trying to determine who's smarter, better looking, etc. The underlying assumption is that our worth is in question. We are therefore continually forced to test our value as a person by measuring ourselves against others. If we come out better, we get a moment's relief. If we come up short, we feel diminished. The basic thinking error is that we interpret each experience, each conversation, each look as a clue to our worth and value.