Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- .This section is about perfectionism. --- 1/24/2006
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- "I want everything to be perfect." Perfectionism as a desire to please other people. Stemming from a misguided need to be the perfect child with a desire to please parents. Or stemming from a desire to fit in socially and please one's peers. --- 8/12/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Attitudes of perfectionists. (1) If I can create a perfect work of art it will last forever. Immortality. (2) If I can create a perfect work of art it means that I am perfect. I am a god. Or at least a superhero. (3) If I can create a perfect work of art then everyone will respect me, like me and perhaps worship me. (4) If I can create a perfect work of art I will be better than everyone else. Power. --- 6/26/2002
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Definitions of perfection. (1) Perfection as the good and true. (2) Perfection as what philosophers pursue. (3) Perfection as the ideal. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- First place gets the money and fame. Second place not. Perfection is thus fetishized. --- 12/2/2002
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- I can't invest that much psychic energy in things that disappoint (ex. Jobs, people, etc.). Everything disappoints to a perfectionist. Don't be a perfectionist. --- 7/1/2003
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- In a hyper-competitive society, people are pressured to be perfect and not merely the best. In this case, the psychopathology of perfectionism is learned by the individual from the society at large. --- 11/19/2004
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- People create abstract ideals that they strive for but never achieve. Nothing is perfect. Perfectionism is a psychopathology of abstract thinking run amok. --- 11/19/2004
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfection as flawlessness, like a flawless diamond. (1) In the world of manmade objects the brand-new is often seen as perfect. The old is often seen as worn and imperfect. Although there is an alternate aesthetic that says things need "wear" in order to be perfect. For example, leather boots and blue jeans. (2) In the natural world the new is seldom perfect. For example, seedlings, larvae and babies need time to mature. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfection as the unspoiled. In pursuing perfection, some people seem to almost be trying to reclaim their virginity. For example, a cloth with a stain on it is described as ruined, soiled and dirty. People try to make all their clothes perfect. This attitude lets laundry soap makers thrive. (2) Perhaps perfectionism arose in the human species as a bio-engineered, hard-wired evolutionary adaptation to make us fear and avoid contamination and disease. Perhaps perfectionism arose out of a desire for pure drinking water and then went out of control and became a generalized reaction in some people. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfection. For example, the perfect three minute pop song. Another example, perfect little homemaker projects (Martha). Perfection makes you feel like you can have heaven on earth. Perfection is like an orgasm. Perfect little objects make you believe perfection is possible elsewhere in your life. Perfection in one area makes you believe in the possibility of perfection in other areas. Its a great hope, a great delight, and a great comfort for some people. However, for some people, one typo or one grammar error can ruin the illusion of perfection and they take it quite hard. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism and self-worth. We like ourselves. We think ourselves good. We feel we deserve the best. We may even feel we deserve perfection. When things go well we don't feel happy, we feel justified. When things go well we feel we got what we deserved. Seldom do we feel positive emotions. When things are less than perfect we tend to feel that we did not get what we deserved. We feel ripped off. We feel taken advantage of. However, nothing is ever perfect. So we feel negative emotions all the time. "Who needs this? This sucks. I don't deserve this mess. I didn't cause this mess." Idealists and perfectionists suffer from excessive self worth. This type of perfectionist can often destroy things, destroy self, feel sorry for self (self-pity and depression), or get angry and act out. The opposite extreme is a low sense of self-worth. "I don't deserve anything. Anything I get I don't deserve. I am bad. I am not good enough." Feeling evil vs. feeling inferior. Feeling inferior can cause one to destroy things, destroy self, or not achieve or accomplish anything. --- 6/23/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism and why we pursue it. To "be all you can be". To figure out "This is as good as it gets". However, the view "Don't stop till its perfect" is often how artists ruin good paintings. Know when to stop. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism as a control hang-up. Three types of control. (1) Self control: perfectionism can be a self control hang-up. For example, thinking "Everything I do must be perfect". Anorexia and bulimia and bodybuilding. (2) Social control: perfectionism can be a social control hang-up. For example, micro-managing bosses. (3) Control of objects and nature: perfectionism can be control hang-up regarding objects and nature. For example, trying to keep a perfectly clean house or a perfectly clean yard. (4) The above three types of control-caused perfectionism all result from a deep fear reaction to the existential chaos of the world. For example, some people dislike nature because (A) Nature is not under their control. (B) Nature is not neat clean and orderly. --- 8/12/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism is related to feelings of self-worth. There are two phenomena involved. (1) If I own the best (most expensive) things then I am the best. If I do not own the best things then I am not the best. (2) If I own the perfect then I am perfect. If I do not own the perfect then I am not perfect. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism may be a form of obsession. This type of obsession with perfection may have several possible causes. (1) A person's focus mechanism may be broken or stuck so that the person can only focus on one thing. (This may be related to addiction. An addict may be a type of perfectionist). (2) The person may be repressing. They may be focusing on one thing in order to repress or block out another thing. In fact, their attempt to block one thing may lead them to block out everything except their one obsession. (3) Obsessive/compulsive disorder can be caused by a biochemical imbalance that responds well to medication. Perfectionists may have a neurotransmitter imbalance. --- 8/12/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism. Causes of perfectionism. (1) Natural causes. (A) Biochemical (to an individual). (B) Evolutionary (to humans in general). (2) Nurture causes. (A) Family. Overachieving parents. (B) Society. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism. Effects of perfectionism. (1) Good effects: Perfectionists are good at detail work. (2) Bad effects: Living with a perfectionist is difficult. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism. One danger with pursuing perfectionism is that sometimes we become unable to accept imperfection, and such perfectionism is a pathological condition that renders us unable to deal with the world. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism. The perfect as transcendent. Two conceptions of the perfect as transcendent. (1) Example, the perfect orgasm. The concept of perfection as transcendence is a conception of a perfection that lets you leave this world. This world is imperfect and we often seek an escape from this world, no matter how momentary that escape may be. (2) Perfection as divine and other-worldly. The concept of god is perhaps the result of perfectionistic thinking. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism. Three conceptions of perfect self. (1) Perfect body. For example, body builders, anorexics and bulimics pursue this. (2) Perfect mind. Perfect rationality (the Spock syndrome and also computer geeks). (3) Perfect "spirit. Some people view our physical world as "dirty". They view material possessions as "corrupting". They view the body as "evil". These people often become spiritual ascetics and religious fanatics. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionism. Three conceptions of the perfect world. (1) Perfect manmade objects. Some people seek perfection in manmade objects. These people develop an object fetish. Example of object fetish are certain art collectors who have to possess a work of art, and also certain gearheads who always have to have the newest and most expensive equipment. (2) Perfect experience or behavior. For example, the search by surfers for the perfect wave, and the search by gastronomists for the perfect meal and the perfect wine. (3) Perfect world or perfect natural environment. For example, gardeners. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Perfectionists are people who are hung-up on perfection. Obsessive-compulsives are perfectionists. Perfectionism could be due to a chemical imbalance. Yet perfectionism helps drive some people to achieve great things. Call it achieving goals through psycho-pathology. Or screwing up in reverse. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Psychological causes of perfectionism. (1) People want to be the best at something because people want to feel like they are a useful and much needed member of society in order to ensure their survival. (2) There is a survival urge in humans that produces a dominance urge that produces a perfectionist urge. That is, to want to be perfect is to want to dominate, and to want to dominate is to want to survive. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Psychological effects of perfectionism. (1) Good effects: (A) Drive to achieve. (2) Bad effects: (A) Obsessive compulsiveness. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Social causes of perfectionism. Society helps create perfectionists by teaching kids that (1) Only first place counts. (2) Anything less than first place is losing and being a loser. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Social effects of perfectionism. (1) Good effects: People pursuing excellence. (2) Bad effects: (A) Crimes of obsession and compulsion. --- 7/25/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Some people equate perfection of any type with moral goodness. For example, some people attempt to equate a perfect lawn with a moral goodness which they try to parlay into a position of social power. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- The obsession with cleanliness. Things must be perfectly clean, neat and orderly. Some people see mess as chaos. Some people see mess as disease and death. They respond to mess with fear and anger. --- 8/18/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- The obsession with cleanliness. Two opposing views held by neat freaks: Orderly room, orderly mind, orderly life, orderly world. Vs. Messy room, mind a mess, life a mess, world a mess. Mess as a threat to their sense of self. Mess as a threat to their sense of control. --- 8/18/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- The perfectionist is an idealist, and apt to be a pessimist because they want things to be perfect and this world is not perfect. Why are they perfectionists? (1) Abstract, logical, formalists. (2) Neat freaks. (A) Fear and hate dirt, garbage and shit. (B) Fear and hate mess, disorder and chaos. (C) Fear and hate poverty and disease, a human instinct. --- 9/29/1998
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Two types of perfection. (1) Perfect simplicity, for example a Zen rock garden or Shaker furniture. (2) Perfect complexity, for example, a fine race car or a symphony. --- 8/10/2000
Psychology, pathological, specific, perfectionism. --- Utopianists are perfectionists. Idealists are perfectionists. --- 7/25/2000