How can we harness the positive aspects of perfectionism without succumbing to its pitfalls?
T
he word “perfectionist” conjures up a stereotyped image of a tightly wound neat freak, the immaculately dressed individual with a sharp eye, whose children are flawlessly dressed and do everything just so.
But, in reality, there’s a bit of perfectionism in most of us. And it’s not always an all-encompassing trait — we might be entirely relaxed in one area of our life, but rigidly demanding of ourselves in another area.
Like all personality traits, perfectionism exists on a continuum of intensity — from minimal to extreme. And to those born with a hefty dose of it, we should be grateful. “You want your brain surgeon to be a perfectionist. You want your root canal specialist to be a perfectionist,” says Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, prolific author, and adjunct associate professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
“If an individual sets high expectations for themselves, it usually means they’ll work harder to achieve their goals,” says Dr. Basco. “If they hate to make mistakes, they’ll be more careful. If they’re into organizing, they will be more efficient.
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