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Jan 12, 2018 · The more you do for yourself, the better you feel; the better you feel, the more confident you’ll become, and the less compelled you’ll feel to be perfect all the time. Learn to let go.
Apr 12, 2021 · To be perfect implies a condition whereby your action or performance attains a level of excellence that cannot be exceeded. Seeking perfection at a particular task...
- All-Or-Nothing Thinking
- Being Highly Critical
- Feeling Pushed by Fear
- Having Unrealistic Standards
- Focusing only on Results
- Feeling Depressed by Unmet Goals
- Fear of Failure
- Procrastination
- Defensiveness
- Low Self-Esteem
Perfectionists, like high achievers, set and work hard to achieve lofty goals. Whereas a high achiever can be satisfied knowing they did their best and achieved a goal, a perfectionist will accept nothing less than perfection. "Almost perfect" is seen as a failure.
Someone with a perfectionist personality is more critical of themselves and others than a high achiever. High achievers take pride in their accomplishments and tend to be supportive of others, yet perfectionists often spot mistakes and imperfections.
High achievers are often pulled toward their goals by a desire to achieve them. They are also happy with any steps made in the right direction. Perfectionists, on the other hand, tend to be pushedby a fear of anything less than a perfectly met goal.
Another sign of being a perfectionist is setting goalsthat may not be reasonable. High achievers can set their goals high, enjoying the fun of going a little further once these goals are reached. Perfectionists often set their initial goals out of reach.
High achievers can enjoy the process of chasing a goal as much or more than the actual reaching of the goal itself. Conversely, perfectionists see the goal and nothing else. They’re so concerned with hitting the goal and avoiding failure that they can’t enjoy the process of growing and striving.
Perfectionists are often less happy than high achievers.While high achievers are able to bounce back fairly easily from disappointment, perfectionists tend to beat themselves up and wallow in negative feelings when their high expectations go unmet. They struggle to move on when things don't work out the way they had hoped.
Perfectionists have a greater fear of failurethan high achievers. Because they place so much stock in results and become disappointed by anything less than perfection, failure becomes a scary prospect. And since anything less than perfection is seen as a failure, it makes it difficult to get started on anything new.
It seems paradoxical that perfectionists would be prone to procrastinationsince this personality trait can be detrimental to productivity. But research has found that a perfectionist person who isn't able to adjust to their situation or environment—called maladaptive perfectionism—is often more prone to procrastinate. The reason for this is because...
Because a less-than-perfect performance is so painful and scary to perfectionists, they will often respond defensivelyto constructive criticism. High achievers, on the other hand, can see criticism as valuable information that will help improve their future performance.
High achievers tend to have equally high levels of self-esteem. This isn't the case with perfectionists. Although striving for perfectionism is associated with higher self-esteem, when someone with a perfectionist personality evaluates themselves critically, this contributes to low self-esteeminstead. Perfectionists can also be lonely or isolated d...
- Elizabeth Scott, Phd
Jul 12, 2024 · An intense and unrealistic pressure to be “perfect” may be a sign of perfectionism. Find out how anxiety and perfectionism are related and how to cope. READ MORE
- Traci Pedersen
Dec 27, 2018 · Extensive research has found the psychology of perfectionism to be rather complex. Yes, perfectionists strive to produce flawless work, and they also have higher levels of motivation and ...
Nov 1, 2023 · And it’s incredibly discouraging to feel like you’re giving your all but still not measuring up. In this article, I explore the deep-seated belief of “never good enough” and the role it plays in perfectionism. I also outline 4 practices to help with uprooting this core belief.
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Perfectionism researcher Gordon Flett, PhD, and clinical psychologist Bonnie Zucker, PsyD, discuss where perfectionism comes from, why it’s an increasing problem, how it affects people’s mental and physical health, and how to treat it.
