C1 – Advanced
People with perfectionism hold themselves to impossibly high standards. They think what they do is never good enough. But it is a serious problem that has been linked to many mental health issues, including depression and eating disorders.
Let’s watch the video below to know more about this personality trait and its dangers.
Discussion Questions:
- Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist? Why or why not?
- What do you think is the root cause of perfectionism?
- Can you think of any benefits to being a perfectionist?
- Do you find it surprising that perfectionism can lead to mental health issues? Why or why not?
- Never aim for perfect. That will guarantee failure almost every time. – Caroline Ghosn. What do you make of this statement?
- What advice would you give to someone who has a hard time dealing with failure?
6 replies on “Perfectionism Makes Us Ill”
1. Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist? Why or why not?
I feel I have the problems of a perfectionist, but not the benefits. Maybe I have been a perfectionist earlier in my life, but I wouldn’t describe myself as one now.
2. What do you think is the root cause of perfectionism?
The search for validation of others.
3. Can you think of any benefits to being a perfectionist?
People tend to think the person is hardworking and intelligent, and they feel they can trust the person.
4. Do you find it surprising that perfectionism can lead to mental health issues? Why or why not?
No. I think I’ve been a perfectionist for a long time and I am dealing with the consecuences now. I have felt depression, loneliness and a deep sense of unworthiness.
5. Never aim for perfect. That will guarantee failure almost every time. – Caroline Ghosn. What do you make of this statement?
It is a good claim, although it lacks something. I would add that, instead of aiming for perfect, people should aim for “good enough”, with a previously set goal.
6. What advice would you give to someone who has a hard time dealing with failure?
Planify better.
You are doing a good job so far. Thank you for sharing your responses.
Here is a better way to express this response of yours:
Then go on either explaining about this tip or giving details on how to plan better.
Practice more and you will definitely see your writing improve.
1. Yes I am, to a minor degree at least. I like my work to be well done, even if it means more time to accomplish a task. I also like to maintain my house clean and organized, for example, I have to clean and dry the sink after washing the dishes.
2. I suppose that it could be many reasons, but I agree with the video that the main reason could be to seek the approval of someone of reference since the childhood. The feeling of not doing the things good enough for getting approval can drive your whole life.
3. The benefits could be the acquisition of skill in the fields of which you want to be perfect. Think about an artisan that has created several pieces of furniture. If each of them has been created with special care, trying them to be perfect, the artisan could be able to create the best pieces in the world, and that could be fame, opportunities or money.
4. It is not a surprise for me. Being perfectionist means that you are not always happy with you, thinking that you could do better or that you do not put enough effort into something. This is a sensation that it is very difficult to satisfy and that could lead to obsession and other issues.
5. I don’t agree with it. I think that we have to aim high, to do our best in order to feel good with ourselves. For example, it is not the same to fail an exam without studying than to fail it with a lot of study behind. In the first case you can feel bad because you had the opportunity to study and now you regret of not taking it, and now it is late for it. In the second case you could think that you are failure, but this is not the way to see it, you have to see it that you did your best and, only by doing that, you improved yourself.
6. I would say that perseverance is the key for success. Nobody achieves something at the first try, but perseverant people often achieve their goals.
You are doing well in terms of your writing practice. Keep up the good job.
Here are a few sentences you can still improve:
Cheers to more entries from you.
1. Would you describe yourself as a perfectionist? Why or why not? No, I am not. I am a person who likes doing things well, but I am not so much perfectionist. I work hard trying to finish the tasks on time, and I don’t feel that they are badly developed.
2. What do you think is the root cause of perfectionism? I agree what the video says. It comes from childhood and for your family or people in your environment who always encouraged you to be the best, but they never feel it was enough.
3. Can you think of any benefits to being a perfectionist? No, I don’t find any benefits. I think that you should learn with errors, and it is normal to make mistakes, it is part of the learning process.
4. Do you find it surprising that perfectionism can lead to mental health issues? Why or why not? Not really, I always think that when feelings become so tough, not only speaking about perfectionism, the mental health issues can appear very easy.
5. Never aim for perfect. That will guarantee failure almost every time. – Caroline Ghosn. What do you make of this statement? I am not completely agree, I better will say that you should aim for perfect, but in case you make mistakes, you should learn from them.
6. What advice would you give to someone who has a hard time dealing with failure? It difficult to change the feelings from other people, I think they need a period or a practising process, but I will explain them that in real life it is normal to fail, because this is part of the learning process.
You’re doing a good job practicing your writing skills. Thanks for your efforts.
See how you can write this sentence better:
Until your next entry!