Introduction & Theoretical Background
People with perfectionism strive to meet extremely high standards, despite this having negative consequences for them. For many individuals with perfectionism, their feelings of self-worth are dependent upon striving for and achieving these demanding standards.
The cognitive behavioral model of perfectionism identifies several factors which maintain perfectionism (Egan et al., 2014; Shafran et al., 2010; Shafran et al., 2014). These include:
- Setting extreme standards for oneself which are difficult to achieve. People with perfectionism pursue standards that are challenging to meet and often impossible to maintain, which inevitably results in failure.
- Self-worth is contingent on fulfilling high standards. For individuals with perfectionism, feeling good about themselves is often dependent upon meeting demanding standards in a limited number of domains. This can lead to a narrowing of interests, problems in other areas of life, and over-investment in striving and achievement.
- Selective attention. This cognitive bias causes people with perfectionism to focus their attention on faults