In orienting their lives around avoiding mistakes, perfectionists miss opportunities to learn and grow. Fear of disapproval. If they let others see their flaws, perfectionists often fear that they will no longer be accepted. Trying to be perfect is a way of trying to protect themselves from criticism, rejection, and disapproval. Perfectionists frequently believe that they are worthless if their accomplishments are not perfect.
Perfectionists have difficulty seeing situations in perspective.
With such an overemphasis on shoulds, perfectionists rarely take into account their own wants and desires. Believing that others are easily successful. Perfectionists tend to perceive others as achieving success with a minimum of effort, few errors, little emotional stress, and maximum self-confidence. At the same time, perfectionists view their own efforts as unending and forever inadequate. The Vicious Cycle of Perfectionism Perfectionistic attitudes set in motion a vicious cycle.