Multiple definitions of perfectionism have been offered including:
“Those whose standards are high beyond reach or reason, people who strain compulsively and unremittingly towards impossible goals and who measure their own worth entirely in terms of productivity and accomplishment. For these people, the effort for excellence is self-defeating.” (Burns, 1980).
“Setting of excessively high standards for performance accompanied by overly critical self-evaluation” (Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990)
it is associated with practical difficulties and negative emotional consequences, causing procrastination and anxiety;
it is associated with a range of disorders including obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, panic, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, chronic fatigue, depression, bipolar, and suicidal ideation and behavior;
it may impede the treatment of such disorders;
it increases the risk of developing eating disorders and depression.
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obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
social anxiety disorder
panic disorder
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
chronic fatigue syndrome
eating disorders
depression
bipolar disorder
suicidal ideation and behavior
Have you ever kept trying to meet your standards, even if this has meant that you have missed out on things?
What sorts of situations trigger feelings of distress when your standards are not met?
What do you think of people who do just enough to get by?
Do you ever feel a failure as a person because you haven’t met your goals?
Have you ever been told that your standards are too high?
In what ways do you compare yourself to others? How do you typically feel?
What kinds of domains must you be perfect in?
Are there any ways that perfectionism has been rewarded or praised in your life?
Burns, D. D. (1980). The perfectionist script for self-defeat. Psychology Today, November, 34–52.
Frost, R. O., Marten, P., Lahart, C., & Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14(5), 449–468.
Riley, C., Lee, M., Cooper, Z., Fairburn, C. G., & Shafran, R. (2007). A randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behaviour therapy for clinical perfectionism: A preliminary study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(9), 2221–2231.
Shafran, R., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (2002). Clinical perfectionism: A cognitive–behavioural analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(7), 773-791.
Shafran, R., Coughtrey, A., & Kothari, R. (2016). New frontiers in the treatment of perfectionism. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 9(2), 156-170.
Shafran, R., Egan, S., & Wade, T. (2018). Overcoming perfectionism: A self-help guide using scientifically supported cognitive behaviouraltechniques(2nd ed.). London: Robinson.
Steele, A. L., & Wade, T. D. (2008). A randomised trial investigating guided self-help to reduce perfectionism and its impact on bulimia nervosa: A pilot study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46(12), 1316–1323.