Factors that contribute to perfectionist behavior
Below, you can find the various factors that contribute to perfectionistic behavior, classified as Strengths, Potential Strengths, and Limitations.
Strengths
- You set high but reasonable standards for the people you work with
Potential Strengths
- You do not display a tendency toward extreme perfectionist, but at the same time, don’t seem to set many standards (if any)
- You place few, if any rules for yourself to live up to, which is not an issue per se, but could hold you back from achieving your full potential
- While it’s good that you don’t feel pressured to be perfect for loved ones, it might still be helpful to have a bit of a push from others to motivate you – someone like a mentor, for example
- You don’t feel pressured to be perfect at work, which is good, but having at least some expectations to live up to could inspire you and squeeze out a little extra effort
- You seem to feel the need to live up to some of society’s standards, but dismiss others
- You do not set high standards for your loved ones, which means that you give them the freedom to be who they want to be; however, you may want to consider the benefits of setting at least some reasonable expectations, to bring out the best in them
Limitations
- No limitations were detected
Essay
Reaction to a perfectionist person
I have a friend, Mike, whom I find perfectionist. Sometimes, the quality is a little obsessive and too uptight for my taste, while in other cases, it is just perfect. Sometimes, the perfectionism quality is pure hellish because it makes him difficult to deal with. This impairs his daily life right from work performance, physical health, relationships, and productivity. For instance, he may sometime procrastinate issues to get one thing done entirely perfect. This causes him stress because he is always on the move to do more. Failing to attain a goal or something failing to go as planned gets him stressed so much. He also has the desire to do so much, which denies him the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his labor at some point. It causes him continuous dissatisfaction since he is always on the move to attain one goal or another. It is tough to enjoy the present when you are still looking in the future or focusing on past failures. He also has positive and admirable qualities, like his focus to detail. He checks his work thoroughly, thus ensuring that his business process runs smoothly. Besides, he commits himself to ensure that his systems run flawlessly.
For Mike to curb these perfectionist tendencies, firstly, he has to identify the emotional triggers that are associated with perfectionist behavior. For instance, when checking his work for the fifth time, he should take the time to check on his emotional condition so that he can learn how to control it. Also, he should come up with alternative coping strategies to help him deal with perfectionism. For instance, if loneliness causes him to be extra careful, he should call a friend so that he can talk. Also, he should accept that he does not have to do anything in response to his emotional needs (Flett& Hewitt, 2002). Despite that, the emotions may be so strong; he can be aware of them and do nothing about it. He should take a step to distract them, but because feelings are short-lived, they will persist and go away. This means that no matter how hurting the emotions might be, he should sit down and do nothing about it. This gives him an understanding of how to handle them when they come(Flett & Hewitt, 2002). To practice this, he needs to learn more about emotional awareness. He can do it practically by getting to know what really pulls him towards perfectionism. He can ask himself questions like ‘what happened? What emotions came along? And what did I feel like doing?’ This requires exercise to identify the emotional triggers of perfectionism. Emotional tolerance is the second step that he needs to learn. This means learning to cope with the behavior instead of running away from it.
During light moments, I can approach Mike and tell him that he is hurting himself with perfectionism. I can advise him to realize good enough work and when it is perfect enough to save his energy and time. I can remind him of the potential harm to his health and professionalism and compare it with excellent outcomes(Flett & Hewitt, 2002). The negatives outweigh the benefits. Therefore, I believe he will be willing to give walking away from perfectionism a trial. Tell him of negative sides like killing creativity, lowering his self-esteem, and killing productivity.
Reference
Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2002). Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment. American Psychological Association.