Posted by Overly high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluations are two things that describe a perfectionist. They want everything to be perfect and won’t settle for anything less. This can show up as self-criticism, criticism of other people, and attempts to control people and events.
10 Signs You Are a Perfectionist
If you’re unsure if you’re a perfectionist, chances that are you are, at least a little bit. There’s also a good chance that you care about being a perfectionist because the word “perfect” has good meanings.
Perfectionists are similar to overachievers in many ways, but some important differences exist. Here, we explain the differences and list ten signs that you or someone you know is a perfectionist. You may be able to see some of these signs in yourself or other people.
1. All-or-nothing Thinking
Like overachievers, perfectionists set high goals and work hard to reach them. An overachiever can be happy with doing a great job and achieving excellence (or something close to it) even if their goals aren’t fully met, but a perfectionist will only settle for perfection. They would think that “almost perfect” is a mistake.
2. Being very judgmental
Someone with a perfectionist personality is harder on themselves and others than someone who is an overachiever. Overachiever who do well tend to be proud of what they’ve done and helpful to others, but perfectionists often see flaws and mistakes.
3. Being Driven by Fear
Most of the time, people who reach their goals do so because they want to. Also, they are happy about any steps in the right way. On the other hand, perfectionists tend to be driven by their fear of not reaching their goals ideally.
4. Having Unrealistic Expectations
Setting goals that may be impossible is another sign of a perfectionist. People who are overachievers can set high goals and enjoy the fun of going a little further when they meet them. Perfectionists often set goals that are too hard to reach at first.
5. Only Looking at Results
Overachievers can enjoy trying to reach a goal just as much as, or even more than, the goal itself. On the other hand, perfectionists only see the goal. They are so worried about reaching their goal and not failing that they can’t enjoy growing and working hard.
6. Feeling Depressed by Unfulfilled Goals
People who try to be perfect are often less happy than overachievers. When their high standards aren’t met, perfectionists tend to beat themselves up and wallow in bad feelings, while high achievers can bounce back quickly. They find it hard to move on when things don’t go as they had hoped.
7. Afraid of Failing
Perfectionists worry more about failing than high-achievers do. Failure seems scary to them because they put so much value on results and are upset by anything less than perfection. And because anything less than perfect is seen as a failure, starting something new is hard.
8. Procrastination
It seems strange that perfectionists are more likely to put things off since putting things off can hurt productivity. But a study has shown that perfectionists who can’t adapt to their situation or environment are often more likely to put things off. This is called maladaptive perfectionism.
This is because perfectionists worry so much about doing something wrong. After all, they are afraid of failing, and they sometimes stop moving and don’t do anything at all. Then, putting things off can make people feel like they’ve fallen even more, which can be a vicious and paralyzing loop.
9. Defensive behavior
It hurts and scares perfectionists so much to do something less than perfect, they often react defensively to constructive feedback. On the other hand, people who are good at what they do can see feedback as helpful information that will help them do better in the future.
10. Low Self-Esteem
Most overachievers have high self-esteem. This isn’t true of perfectionists, though. Even though trying to be perfect is linked to better self-esteem, someone with a perfectionist personality who is hard on themselves is more likely to have low self-esteem.
Perfectionists can also be lonely because their harshness and rigidity make people stay away from them. This can worsen a person’s low self-esteem, which can significantly affect their self-image, general life satisfaction, and relationships.
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Anisa is a writer who focuses on career and lifestyle topics in an effort to motivate both job searchers and employers towards greater fulfillment in their professional lives.
Reach me at anisa@jobstore.com.