Perfectionism

A pathological pursuit of usually unobtainable high standards closely linked to mental illness. Perfectionism is linked to depression, to anxiety disorders, to anorexia, to obsessive-compulsive disorder and to insomnia. Studies have also linked perfectionism to relationship problems and sexual dissatisfaction.

Perfectionism is described as a personality trait or a type of dysfunctional assumption where people feel their self-worth is dependent on 100% or perfect success. It can be quite hard to shift, owing to the fact that some people find it hard to see why doing something perfectly isn't a useful goal to aim for. However, when a desire for perfection is over-applied it tends to lead to harsh self-criticism and is self-defeating - ironically, people often perform worse as a result.

Perfectionism is a phobia of mistake-making, It is the feeling that 'If I make a mistake, it will be catastrophic. Striving for perfection is fine. The issue is how you interpret your own inevitable mistakes and failings. Do they make you feel bad about yourself in a global sense? Does a missed shot in tennis make you slam your racket to the ground? Do you think anything less than 100 percent might as well be zero?

Not so PerfectPerfect
feel that in order to be a worthwhile person, they have to perform in such and such a manner, they have to behave perfectly. In order to change these false beliefs it is recommended to encourage them to open up about their mistakes, and to help them realize that others will not condemn them for their failures. It also helps making them understand that as much as they want to be perfect, they needed to stay within the realm of what it is possible.