Perfectionism - Psychology - Mental Health and Behavior - New York Times - The Diigo Meta page

• 09 Feb 12
  

  Ladenheim Maya
  • perfectionism is a valuable lens through which to understand a variety of seemingly unrelated mental difficulties, from depression to compulsive behavior to addiction.
  • lf-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high standards and appear to be at risk of self-critical depression; outwardly focused zealots who expect perfection from others, often ruining relationships; and those desperate to live up to an ideal they’re convinced others expect of them, a risk factor for suicidal thinking and eating disorders.
  • “They’re very proud of it,” she said. “And the culture highly values and reinforces their attitudes.”
  • If you can’t tolerate your worst, at least once in a while, how true to yourself can you be?

  2 more annotations...

• 20 Jan 12
  

  Rivera Nova
  • obsessive-compulsive  disorder — another risk for perfectionists.
  • obsessive-compulsive  disorder
  • Some researchers divide perfectionists into three types
  • Self-oriented strivers
  • outwardly focused zealots
  • perfectionism is a valuable lens through which to understand a variety of  seemingly unrelated mental difficulties, from depression  to compulsive behavior to addiction.
  • and those desperate to live up to an ideal they’re convinced others expect of  them,
  • “It’s when it generalizes to other areas of life, home life, appearance,  hobbies, that you begin to see real problems.”
  • “They’re very proud of it,” she said. “And the culture highly values and  reinforces their attitudes.”
  • “all or nothing
  • The more strongly participants in the study thought in this either-or fashion,  the more likely they were to display the kind of extreme perfectionism that can  lead to mental  health problems.
  • At some level they know that it’s possible to succeed after falling short (build  on your mistakes: another boilerplate rule). The trouble is that falling short  still reeks of mediocrity; for them, to say otherwise is to spin the result.
  • The British have a saying that encourages people to show their skills while  mocking the universal fear of failure: Do your worst.

  11 more annotations...

• 10 Jan 12
  

  Ray Mitsch

  Perfectionism New York Times
  

  psychology health perfectionism

• 08 Dec 11
  

  Clare Wongwai
  • Some researchers divide perfectionists into three types, based on answers to standardized questionnaires: Self-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high standards and appear to be at risk of self-critical depression; outwardly focused zealots who expect perfection from others, often ruining relationships;
• 02 Feb 11
  

  Angela Squillacioti

  Perfectionists - symptoms and studies

  Perfectionism

• 08 Jan 10
  

  billb o

  psychology youth achievement

• 30 Apr 09
  

  Brian Beaver

  Unhappy? Self-Critical? Maybe You're Just a Perfectionist
  By BENEDICT CAREY
  Published: December 4, 2007
  Several recent studies stand as a warning against taking the platitudes of achievement too seriously.

• 10 Dec 07
  

  clarify

  perfectionism health mind personality psychology study data forseminar

• 06 Dec 07
  

  Some researchers divide perfectionists into three types, based on answers to standardized questionnaires: Self-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high standards and appear to be at risk of self-critical depression; outwardly focused zealot

  health mind perfectionism personality psychology

• 05 Dec 07
  

  Daniele Mazzini

  psychology for:tatiana21

• 

  adec333

  Health

• 04 Dec 07
  

  Louis Messina

  PKeyTF2007

Page Comments

• 
  Ladenheim Maya on 2012-02-09
  This characterization of different types of perfectionism seems harsh. Are there any benefits to these desires to please others/oneself?
• 
  Ladenheim Maya on 2012-02-09
  I agree--our society reinforces perfectionism and compares perfectionism to wanting to do the very best one can. However, after a certain point, perfectionism becomes detrimental to one's health and should no longer be viewed as "good work ethic" or the desire to succeed.
• 
  Ladenheim Maya on 2012-02-09
  This is an interesting contradiction to what is normally preached. Usually people are encouraged to do their very best 100% of the time. However, I agree that once in a while it is okay to take it easy, to accept something that is not perfect. People must be able to deal with slight variations and learn to embrace their imperfections. Otherwise, they will never be happy--and isn't that the point of living? The goal of achieving perfection is to be happy--if you can be happy without this perfection, why is that so bad?
• 
  Ladenheim Maya on 2012-02-09
  Summary: This article analyzes how perfectionism can prevent people from finding happiness because it makes them over critical of themselves and others. Furthermore, perfectionism can be so detrimental because people don’t realize that it is a problem. Often perfectionists take pride in their obsessive behaviors and society as a whole encourages these unreachable standards. Overall, this article argues people must learn to live with their faults to find inner peace and build stronger relationships with others.
  
  Evaluation: Overall, I agree with this article’s ideas. Although to some extent perfectionism can serve as a motivating force, in the end, it forces us to set unachievable goals, leading to a never-ending sense of failure. An underlying assumption in this article is that our society encourages perfectionism. Also, it is clear that this article values the ability to accept ones’ faults and believes this is necessary to living a satisfying life.
  
  Use in Thesis: In my thesis, I hope to use the part of this article which explains the 3 different types of perfectionism and how each kind can negatively impact an individual. Furthermore, I would like to explore the topic of how perfectionism can detract from overall contentment.
  
  Next steps: After reading this article, I would like to search for more sources about how society encourages perfectionism. Are there certain factors that trigger perfectionisms? Do some people have naturally more perfectionist tendencies? How can we find a balance between becoming the best possible and accepting our shortcomings?
• 
  Ladenheim Maya on 2012-02-09
  Many people and companies preach that if you try hard enough and believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything. However, at what point does this drive to succeed turn into a hindrance and damaging?
• 
  Ladenheim Maya on 2012-02-09
  Although perfectionism seems like it could be positive, because it motivates students to try harder, in reality it can cause serious mental illnesses such as depression.

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