What made mankind change for the better, evolve, achieve ambitious goals? Of course, the pursuit of ideal and perfection. However, such an aspiration or, as it is called, perfectionism is not always useful for the human psyche. How to determine the line beyond which the desire to make the world and yourself perfect becomes an obsessive pathological idea? Let's get it right.
Perfectionism: what is it?
It's pretty easy to guess the origin of the word. It came from English perfection (Russian "perfection"). Scientists believe that the phenomenon of perfectionism is associated with ancient times. It was then that people learned to cope with hunger and natural elements, create a comfortable space for life and turn to the spiritual, inner side of their personality. It is no coincidence that at that time many philosophical schools appeared. However, one must be able to distinguish the desire for an excellent result, dictated by natural motivation, from its pathological form, which is expressed in the denial of imperfection. Being a personal characteristic, perfectionism positively affects a person in terms of improving his social status, personal qualities, career growth, etc. The pathological form causes a neurotic state, fixation on a fictional ideal and a perfect result that cannot be achieved. We think now you won’t be wondering: “What is perfectionism?” But another appears: “How to determine its presence in yourself?”
Signs
Perfectionism, the significance of which we examined above, has several characteristic features:
- the formation of unattainable or excessively high standards;
- doubts in their own knowledge, achievements, skills;
- rigid fixation on shortcomings and errors;
- increased susceptibility to criticism;
- guilt for minor or alleged errors;
- the desire in any way to meet the expectations of others, despite the high complexity or impracticability of the task.
If you find at least one of the above features, then you have perfectionism. What is it and what are its signs, we learned. Now let's figure out whether it is possible to get rid of it if it has become pathological.
Three rules of deliverance
If perfectionism, the definition of which is in philosophical dictionaries, has become a neurosis, an obsessive desire, you need to immediately turn to a psychologist. It will help increase stress resistance and eliminate pathology. But there are rules that can ease the perfectionist’s fixation on the result:
1. Do not take criticism
It is clear that if a person made every effort to achieve a result, then criticism will be offensive to him. Do not take it too seriously. Remember: everyone evaluates the surrounding reality through the prism of life experience, and it is simply unrealistic to please everyone.
2. Objectively evaluate the result
This is necessary to reduce the stress factor. For example, if a round excellent student suddenly failed one exam, then he is unlikely to be expelled from the institute for this. And certainly it will not be a shame. He just needs to retake the material, and that’s it.
3. Keep calm
At the moment when there is a race for the perfect result, stop immediately, abstract yourself from the situation and take a couple of deep breaths. Now continue to work.
So, we told you about the phenomenon of perfectionism: what it is, what are its signs and the rules for dealing with it. Of course, it’s worth striving for the ideal, but as long as it does not harm your mental health.