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Are You A Perfectionist?

A perfectionist is one who regards anything short of perfect as unacceptable. But in the eyes of experts in psychology, perfectionists are those who hold unrealistically high standards and judge themselves or others as always falling short.

Using 45-item questionnaire, psychology Professor Gordon Flett at Toronto’s York University and Professor Paul Hewitt of the University of British Columbia conducted a long-term study to identify 3 types of perfectionists:

• Self-oriented (expect perfection of themselves);

• Other-oriented (demand perfection from others); and

• Socially prescribed (think others expect perfection from them).

Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, as what the researchers name it, is the first personality test (as at 2004) that focuses specifically on the trait from a multi-dimensional perspective.

I used to be one many years ago. Based on the classification, I supposed I should be classified as a self-oriented perfectionist.

During my college time many years ago, I had such a peculiar act: re-write all the notes taken during lectures because I want to have perfect neatness. So for every lecture, I would spend great deal of time re-writing, over and over again, until I felt satisfactorily. There was no affordable personal computer available then, so I had to write everything manually on papers. Imagine how much papers and time I had wasted. Of course, there were many other behaviors that also showed my perfectionism though I was totally not aware of. I did not really feel stressful at all. And, I was then too young and simply ignorant to realize how such behavior could adversely affect my health. Although I do not behave in that extreme anymore nowadays, I admit I still bear some characteristics of partial perfectionist.

As Professor Flett suggested, it is not easy for the perfectionists to change because their behavior can also lead to life and career accomplishments.

Some researches showed that perfectionists may end up with multiple health problems. When they are constantly under stress, health issues such as depression, eating disorders, chronic pain syndrome, marital discord, and even suicide can happen to them. Some previous studies also reported that stress is linked to increased heart rate and weakened immune systems. A recent research even found that long period of stress may actually raise cholesterol blood levels for some people. This means the risk of heart disease may subsequently be increased.

You are a perfectionist if:

• You cannot stop thinking about a mistake you made.

• You are intensely competitive.

• You want to do something just right or not at all.

• You demand perfection from others.

• You won’t ask for help if it can be perceived as a flaw or weakness.

• You will persist at a task long after other people have quit.

• You are a fault-finder who must correct other people’s mistakes.

• You are highly aware of other people’s demands and expectations.

• You are very self-conscious about making mistakes in front of others.

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