Perfectionism can also negate a willingness to say they are sorry and apologize because they are afraid that if they ever admit to wrongdoing people will reject them. With these students, perfectionism becomes so tyrannical to them that they develop anxiety attacks. Such attacks have their beginnings in the idea that only perfect work is acceptable. This leads to a thinking pattern that they can't do it because it won't be good enough. The next stage is total paralysis.
Humans are the only species that think of failure.
But we should think of failure simply as feedback, not as an end state. The teacher s message to students, therefore, is to emphasize that experiences should be viewed as processes and as information, not as weapons for self-punishment. This positive mindset breeds a willingness to experiment, to try, to risk. This is extremely important since improvement only comes with practice. Practicing participation rather than perfectionism should be the message to learners.