Perfectionism: The Hidden Plague of Society
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Benjamin Elliott
Abstract
When someone has perfectionism, they often hold themselves to exceedingly high standards and have a strong desire to be flawless. However, while it is often viewed in a positive light, the reality of it is much darker and detrimental. It has two key dimensions: perfectionistic strivings, which refers to pursuing excellence, and perfectionistic concerns, which describes the inability to take satisfaction in one’s performance. Therefore, maladaptive perfectionistic concerns are strongly linked to poorer mental health like depression. This paper aims to examine perfectionism among Asian American students, finding self-critical perfectionism tied to greater depressive symptoms as a result of perceived discrimination and unrestricted mobility. It also analyzes the impact on families through relationships between parental and youth perfectionism, contributing to adolescent depression. Lastly, it discusses perfectionism and therapist burnout in relation to compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. In all, comprehending the complexity of perfectionism allows for people to better understand the negative mental health impacts it can bring and how to relieve this and improve the lives of others. Keywords: Personal standards perfectionism, evaluative concerns perfectionism, adaptive perfectionism, maladaptive perfectionism, perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, unrestricted mobility, perceived discrimination, self-critical perfectionism, depression, adolescent perfectionism
Start Date
27-3-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
27-3-2024 9:50 AM
Location
Magnolia Ballroom
Perfectionism: The Hidden Plague of Society
Magnolia Ballroom
When someone has perfectionism, they often hold themselves to exceedingly high standards and have a strong desire to be flawless. However, while it is often viewed in a positive light, the reality of it is much darker and detrimental. It has two key dimensions: perfectionistic strivings, which refers to pursuing excellence, and perfectionistic concerns, which describes the inability to take satisfaction in one’s performance. Therefore, maladaptive perfectionistic concerns are strongly linked to poorer mental health like depression. This paper aims to examine perfectionism among Asian American students, finding self-critical perfectionism tied to greater depressive symptoms as a result of perceived discrimination and unrestricted mobility. It also analyzes the impact on families through relationships between parental and youth perfectionism, contributing to adolescent depression. Lastly, it discusses perfectionism and therapist burnout in relation to compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. In all, comprehending the complexity of perfectionism allows for people to better understand the negative mental health impacts it can bring and how to relieve this and improve the lives of others. Keywords: Personal standards perfectionism, evaluative concerns perfectionism, adaptive perfectionism, maladaptive perfectionism, perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, unrestricted mobility, perceived discrimination, self-critical perfectionism, depression, adolescent perfectionism