Perfectionist-------- A few thoughts!!

Off late I have heard the word perfectionist way too many times. I open the television and there is some actor claiming to a 'perfectionist', you try to watch an interview with an industrialist and realize that again he is another self proclaimed 'perfectionist' !!! You are inundated with these perfectionists to an extent that you begin to feel that the only people who are worthy of achieving anything in this world are the 'perfectionists'. This set me thinking and researching, now what does a perfectionist mean? The dictionary meaning of the word 'perfectionist' turned out to be "a person who adheres to or believes in perfectionism,

a person who demands perfection of himself, herself, or others" .Perfectionism,is a belief that perfection can and should be attained.Perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable. Something did not quite fit here and I analyse point by point as to what such people may actually be facing in their lives.

Let me begin by identifying the characteristics of perfectionists as I see them:

one, they must be having a great need for approval that is why they want to do everything perfectly so that they get accepted by others

second, they must be having a terrible fear of failure to the extent that it affects their functioning on a daily basis

third, a low self acceptance and self esteem. Since they can't accept themselves as they are they have difficulty in accepting others too.

fourth, defensiveness often disguised in over aggression

fifth, they are always under pressure to achieve and often dissatisfied and unhappy.

There could be many more characteristics but I suppose you get the idea.

(I will continue in next blog since there is so much to write on this topic that it cannot fit in one blog, till then you mull if you are kind of perfectionist)