When Perfect isn't Enough

Ever met someone who referred to themselves as a “perfectionist”? Well according to this article from Behavior Modification, that might indicate a potential psychological imbalance. That’s not to say that you should rush them to the nearest psych ward or hospital for evaluation, because this is a widely contested and hotly debated issue. The reigning belief in popular psychology is that there are two types of perfectionism, positive and negative. In fact the existing measure for judging perfectionism is called the PANPS, the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale. One of the most often used examples of negative perfectionism is in people with eating disorders. High levels of “positive” perfectionism are commonly found in elite athletes, suggesting benefits with some levels of perfectionism that cannot therefore be deemed negative. However, the authors believe perfectionism is inherently unhealthy because it is characterized by “avoidance orientation and fear of failure”. Due to the inherently unattainable nature of perfection, any person who spends their time striving for such a thing will ultimately live a life full of disappointments, which if chronic could develop into a situation similar to that of a psychological disorder.

Positive perfectionism is characterized by high levels of organization, high personal standards, and being extremely driven to succeed. This type of perfectionism is considered healthy, normal and beneficial to the individual. These positively driven perfectionists are motivated by positive reinforcement and desire for success. These people are considered healthy because they don’t avoid situations where they feel they will encounter failure. Instead they will devote immense amounts of time to making sure that they do not fail. For these people, failure is not an option. They thrive and find happiness and fulfillment through their successes which, since they are practically guaranteed, are often. Thus while they may find stress in working hard to accomplish their goals, the payoffs make it worth the work for them.

Negative perfectionism is defined by being disadvantageous to the individual and is regarded as being unhealthy and pathological. People who fall into this category will constantly avoid situations where failure is likely. They are driven by negative reinforcement and a strong fear of failure. Negative reinforcement occurs when an action removes a negative stimulus (aka when the thing you want to stop finally does). However, constant thoughts of failure make it even less likely for these negatively minded perfectionists to succeed. These are the perfectionists who really aren’t. While they strive for nothing else, they are too preoccupied to perform at their optimal levels and are haunted by their repeated failures. There is a kind of cycle associated with negative perfectionism. Repeated failures lead to feelings of worthlessness which prohibit individuals from finding accomplishments in future endeavors, because they remain too focused on their past failures. Patients who suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia commonly report such feelings of worthlessness, supporting the negative nature of perfectionism.
The question that is really raised in this article is whether any kind of perfectionism is actually healthy. According to these authors, there have been plenty of studies preformed (the details of which make up the majority of the article), which show a correlation between perfectionism and overall unhappiness. With initial successes, comes increased pressure for additional triumphs. This creates an endless cycle of pressure and demand for continued improvement with higher and higher expectations. Perfectionists tend to have low self acceptance, self esteem, and to feel that they have to meet high standards. All perfectionists have a fear or aversion to failure, and in many cases, the avoidance of failure is the main motivation behind their actions. All of these conditions lead to lower levels of satisfaction. People with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are often perfectionists as well. They see their bodies as another challenge in which they must be victorious. Imperfections, such as fat, are not tolerated so they do whatever necessary to eliminate them. Depression can also arise from perfectionism, if the person is in fact constantly plagued by failures. Because perfectionists are not able to deal with failure in a rational way, depression may develop.
The other most important aspect when considering the possible positive effects of perfectionism comes with treating perfectionists afflicted with the aforementioned conditions. If a therapist and the psychological community as a whole agree that there is an actual positive form of perfectionism, therapists will likely try to convert negative perfectionism into positive perfectionism. However, if it is believed that there is no such thing as positive perfectionism, then attempts will be made to eliminate perfectionist tendencies all together. Obviously if the tests and studies are correct and there is no such thing as positive perfectionism, then any attempt to create positive perfectionism will ultimately fail at improving the lives of troubled perfectionists.

I think that Edith Schaefer illustrated the point I’m trying to make, “People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it”. So perfectionists, beware. Stop and smell the flowers and try to let a few things slide.