Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Perfectionism, Is it Inspiring or threatening ?

Albromor · 10-31-2002, 02:32 PM

Perfectionism is rooted in low self-esteem. Both the psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral schools of therapy show that at their psychic core perfectionists are guilt ridden, guilt driven. Here is the thing: Perfectionists cannot fail for failure cuts to their wounded core. Failure brings forth deep guilt. To combat and guard against failure the perfectionist will strive to see that they do not fail by rigid control of their environment. In other words, if they can control their environment they will not fail. The problem is that the environment isn't really controllable. Another problem is that failer is always only one step away which drives the perfectionist to controlling themselves and often others. Extreme cases are whereby people in your life never seem to measure up to your standards; if only they would then they would be happier and more productive (and you wouldn't be frustrated). As always, perfectionism takes differing degrees as many of you have already attested to. Under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; which is THE standard manual for diagnosis) published by the American Psychiatric Association, lable perfectionists as Obsessive-Compulsive. Here is some of what they say:

"The essential feature of the Obsessive-Compulsive... is a preoccupation with ordiliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency. This pattern begins in early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts... Individuals with O-C attempt to maintain a sense of control to painstaking attention to rules, trivial details, procedures, lists, schedules... [they] display excessive devotion to work and productivity to the exclusion of liesure activities and friendships... and when they do have time they are uncomfortable [for they think it is a waste of time]..."

There is a whole lot more but I think you get a glimpse of what perfectionism is. personally, wacky, I think your own description is right on. Remember, however, the woundedness that a perfectionistic has can be of varying degress. That is why you have have varying degrees of response on this board. By the way, anal attentive and obsessive-compulsive ARE the same thing. Frasier and Felix are in the same boat, but Felix is definitly the more extreme. For what its worth...

10-31-2002, 02:32 PM	#14
Albromor Mephistopheles Join Date: June 13, 2001 Location: Northfield, NJ USA Posts: 1,417	Perfectionism is rooted in low self-esteem. Both the psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral schools of therapy show that at their psychic core perfectionists are guilt ridden, guilt driven. Here is the thing: Perfectionists cannot fail for failure cuts to their wounded core. Failure brings forth deep guilt. To combat and guard against failure the perfectionist will strive to see that they do not fail by rigid control of their environment. In other words, if they can control their environment they will not fail. The problem is that the environment isn't really controllable. Another problem is that failer is always only one step away which drives the perfectionist to controlling themselves and often others. Extreme cases are whereby people in your life never seem to measure up to your standards; if only they would then they would be happier and more productive (and you wouldn't be frustrated). As always, perfectionism takes differing degrees as many of you have already attested to. Under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; which is THE standard manual for diagnosis) published by the American Psychiatric Association, lable perfectionists as Obsessive-Compulsive. Here is some of what they say: "The essential feature of the Obsessive-Compulsive... is a preoccupation with ordiliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency. This pattern begins in early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts... Individuals with O-C attempt to maintain a sense of control to painstaking attention to rules, trivial details, procedures, lists, schedules... [they] display excessive devotion to work and productivity to the exclusion of liesure activities and friendships... and when they do have time they are uncomfortable [for they think it is a waste of time]..." There is a whole lot more but I think you get a glimpse of what perfectionism is. personally, wacky, I think your own description is right on. Remember, however, the woundedness that a perfectionistic has can be of varying degress. That is why you have have varying degrees of response on this board. By the way, anal attentive and obsessive-compulsive ARE the same thing. Frasier and Felix are in the same boat, but Felix is definitly the more extreme. For what its worth...