What Causes Perfectionism?
We should all strive to be the best version of ourselves. But when you take a harder look at perfectionism and its hard-hitting mental health effects, you may change your mind.
But what is really so bad about being a bit of a perfectionist? Let's look at the downside of being a perfectionist and investigate what really causes it. To learn more, keep reading.
Taking a hard look at perfectionism
When first thinking about it, you may not see any error with being a perfectionist. However, there are serious differences between trying your best and trying for perfection.
A perfectionist, or someone who is usually what's known as a "Type A" personality, is an individual who does not allow any mistakes in their life whatsoever. Of course, life is full of imperfection, and any sort of perceived flaw by the perfectionist will wreak havoc on their life.
Although affectionately calling someone a perfectionist may be perceived as a positive trait, there are plenty of drawbacks to living with perfectionism. Focusing completely on perfection narrows your focus on life and over time, you will lose appreciation of the little things.
What are the causes?
Now that you are aware of what makes perfectionism less than perfect, we can start looking at the root causes of the character trait. Unfortunately, there is not one diagnosis for perfectionism. Rather, several situations may cause perfectionism in an individual.
Both internal and external factors play a part in developing perfectionism. Sometimes, an individual simply has an extreme drive to succeed. This desire for success may manifest as perfectionism rather than a healthy relationship with ambition. Additionally, outside factors such as growing up in a critical household may cause someone to develop perfectionism. Usually, there is a combination of internal and external factors.
What does perfectionism look like?
Aside from trying to be perfect, what does perfectionism really look like? How are you supposed to recognize perfectionism in yourself, your family, or your friends? Although each case of perfectionism may manifest differently, there are a few traits you can look out for.
These traits include:
Black and white thinking: In the case of a perfectionist, you either succeed or you fail. Coming in second place is simply not good enough.
Highly critical thinking: Obviously, perfection is an incredibly high standard. Similar to the black and white thinking, a perfectionist is usually very critical of their actions. Additionally, they will try to control everyone’s actions to meet their critical standards.
Fear of failure: While failing does not feel great, a perfectionist will harbor genuine fear of failing. Not meeting their high standards—and therefore failing—is a very common fear among perfectionists.
Overcoming your perfectionist tendencies
Once you are ready to leave your perfectionism behind, I promise you will be able to do so. Start slowly by changing your thoughts and attitude toward failure. Instead of looking at failure as an embarrassing mistake, think of it as a learning opportunity.
In the case of overcoming perfectionism, failure is actually a great success. As you fail, you are succeeding in ditching your unhealthy habits. With some hard work and a lot of trust in yourself, you can begin to leave perfectionism behind.
If you find yourself obsessing over your habits or losing sleep over minute mistakes, I encourage you to reach out to a trained mental health professional. With the help of a therapist, you can begin to kick your perfectionist habits to the curb. Whether we like it or not, our lives will never be perfect. But your life will always be uniquely yours. Reach out to retake your life today with anxiety treatment.
