When Perfect Isn't Good Enough by Martin M. Antony

Others may need talking therapies or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to break out of negative thinking patterns (Thomson, 2019).įormer clinical psychologist Alice Boyes (2020) suggests focusing on aspects of perfectionism and their potential solutions on a day-to-day basis. For some, depending on how they are feeling and acting, self-help books may be sufficient. There are ways to combat our desire for perfection. With social media, parents, academia, an unpredictable economy, high-pressure workplaces, and demanding educational policies all guilty of pushing unrealistic targets for people of all ages, how do we manage the need to always do better? Haven’t we all at times felt the desire to be more perfect: getting an A, a high-performance job, and having the best dinner date? Researchers and therapists are now finding increasing numbers of people unable to meet the high standards they are setting themselves (Stoeber, 2018 Thomson, 2019).

410) uncovered a concerning trend: “Recent generations of young people perceive that others are more demanding of them, are demanding of others, and are more demanding of themselves.”Īs a result, young people – and other age groups too – are finding themselves subject to excessively high personal standards and increasingly critical self-evaluation. In their review of perfectionism in college students over a 27-year period, Curran and Hill (2019, p.

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This article introduces techniques and therapeutic approaches to combat perfectionism and understand when good is good enough.īefore you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. So, how do we manage the exceedingly high expectations we have for ourselves and others while addressing our concerns over making mistakes and handling criticism (Stoeber, 2018)? The number of people experiencing perfectionism is rising dramatically, especially among the young (Curran & Hill, 2019). Maintaining that flawless veneer can put your mental and physical wellbeing at risk as you search for that perfect life (Thomson, 2019). While difficult to define, perfectionism can drive impossibly high standards and have dangerous consequences.

When Perfect Isn't Good Enough by Martin M. Antony