what is perfectionism?

“Have the courage to be imperfect.” - Alfred Adler


Perfectionism is a personality trait or mindset characterized by setting extremely high standards and being overly critical of oneself or others. Perfectionism is complicated. While striving for self-improvement excellence can be a strength, perfectionism—where nothing ever feels "good enough"—can lead to chronic stress, self-criticism, and low self-worth.

There are 3 types of perfectionism:

  1. Self-oriented - Internal pressure, holding yourself to extremely high and unrealistic expectations and being self-critical when you don’t meet those expectations.

  2. Socially prescribed - External pressure, believing that others expect you to be perfect and holding you to unrealistic expectations, and that you’ll be rejected or criticized if you’re not.

  3. Other-oriented - Judgment of others, holding others to excessively high and unrealistic expectations

What does perfectionism look like?

  1. Unrealistically High Standards – Expecting yourself (or others) to achieve near-impossible goals that leads to pressure and disappointment.

  2. Fear of Failure – This can be an intense and persistent fear of making mistakes or being seen as imperfect, as well as avoiding an activity or scenario where there is a potential for failure, such as a job interview or an exam.

  3. Overcritical Self-Evaluation – Harsh inner dialogue and judging yourself drains emotional energy and motivation.

  4. All-or-Nothing Thinking – Seeing anything less than perfect as a failure.

  5. Procrastination or Avoidance – Delaying tasks because you're afraid you won’t do them perfectly.

  6. Low Satisfaction – Achievements feel hollow because there’s always “something more” to do and chronically feeling “its not good enough”.

  • Overworking – Spending excessive time on tasks, even minor ones, leads to exhaustion.

  • Difficulty Delegating – A need for control makes it hard to share tasks or ask for support, increasing workload.

Excessive perfectionism can have significant negative impacts on mental health. Research has linked perfectionism to a variety of mental health problems, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder,

Signs of Perfectionism-Induced Burnout:

  • Chronic fatigue and exhaustion

  • Loss of motivation, even for things you once enjoyed

  • Feeling like no effort is ever "enough"

  • Increased anxiety, frustration, or irritability

  • Difficulty making decisions due to fear of making mistakes