Perfectionists cannot tolerate mistakes. Even the slightest error is frustrating and can even generate overwhelming anxiety. It is as though eachact were a life and death struggle. Each mistake could cause imminent catastrophe. Perfectionists even lose sleep worrying about projects in which they think they may have made a mistake.
Perfectionism is an attempt to master and control the environment.
Roots of Perfectionism Perfectionists keep their world at a minimum so that they won't have to become over whelmed with all of the possible imperfections, be open to criticism from others, and can maintain their things in perfectorder. By keeping the world narrow perfectionists are not exposed to the threat of criticism. Our society reinforces perfection. We learn to delay gratification, put our toys away, not to spill our milk, and to scrub ourhands clean. The child with the neatest room, cleanest hands, unsoiledclothes, gets the gold star.