Perfectionism has often received bad attention. Many describe perfectionism as negative, and potentially harmful. Perfectionism has been associated with numerous psychological problems, including depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety.
However, it seems that lately researchers have discovered a second dimension to perfectionism, which was labeled normal perfectionism. So what does this all mean?
The problematic side of perfectionism, known as maladaptive evaluation concerns, is due to excessive concerns about making mistakes, doubts about one’s behaviour, and excessively critical relationships with parents. Such neurotic perfectionists inevitably have low self-esteem because even the slightest negative feedback will be seen as evidence of the gap between the real self and the idealized perfect self.
The newfound positive end of perfectionism, known as positive striving, refer to high personal standards and organization. Research showed that positive striving actually made people feel more energetic, enthusiastic, and active. Normal perfectionists are better able to establish performance boundaries that take into account both their limitations and strengths. In this way, success is more possible because self-expectations are both more reasonable and realistic.
So which type of perfectionist are you?
Or are you far away from a perfectionist, and more of a….regular person?
Piece of advice from me:
If you find yourself fitting the description of a neurotic perfectionist, please know that the things that must be perfect and mean the whole world to you…probably don’t mean shit to anyone else. So take a breath, and see the lighter side of the world. Laugh a little. Mess up a bit. It’s alright. Enjoy your life….
No comments:
Post a Comment