New research suggests that perfectionism can sabotage success, leading to stress, burnout and potential health problems.
Researchers found that people who live life like it's an endless report card on accomplishments can weaken and void their success at work, school or on the playing field, leading to the debilitating effects of burnout.
"Perfectionistic concerns capture fears and doubts about personal performance, which creates stress that can lead to burnout when people become cynical and stop caring," Andrew Hill, lead researcher of the study, said in a statement. "It also can interfere with relationships and make it difficult to cope with setbacks because every mistake is viewed as a disaster."
For the study, researchers analyzed the findings from 43 previous studies conducted over the past 20 years and found that not all parts of perfectionism are bad.
One aspect of perfectionism called "perfectionistic strivings" involves the setting of high personal standards and working toward those goals in a pro-active manner. These efforts may help maintain a sense of accomplishment and delay the debilitating effects of burnout, the study found.
However, the dark side of perfectionism, called "perfectionistic concerns," can be more detrimental when people constantly worry about making mistakes, letting others down, or not measuring up to their own impossibly high standards. Previous research has shown that perfectionistic concerns and the stress they generate can contribute to serious health problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, fatigue and even early death.
Researchers found that perfectionistic concerns had the strongest negative effects in contributing to burnout in the workplace, possibly because people have more social support and clearly defined objectives in education and sports.
"People need to learn to challenge the irrational beliefs that underlie perfectionistic concerns by setting realistic goals, accepting failure as a learning opportunity, and forgiving themselves when they fail," Hill said. "Creating environments where creativity, effort and perseverance are valued also would help."
Researchers said the development of a personality profile that identifies perfectionistic concerns might be a valuable tool in detecting and helping individuals who are prone to burnout, the study noted
The findings are detailed in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Review.
