Welcome to “The Young & The Perfectionistic” blog! If you or someone you know feels constant pressure to be perfect, are afraid of making mistakes, terrified of failure, constantly doubts decisions, needs to check or redo work, or can’t enjoy success because it often feels like even more pressure to do better next time, then you are in the right place.
In this blog, we will be discussing how teens, their parents, and people who engage with teenagers (e.g., educators, coaches, practitioners, etc.) understand and experience perfectionism. Our lab is dedicated to helping young people, their families, and those who work with teens gain a better understanding of what it means to be a teen perfectionist and how perfectionism is experienced in their daily lives. The goal is to use our findings to inform prevention and intervention strategies aimed at lessening perfectionism and its associated costs for teens and their families.
We will provide our latest research findings to help answer questions such as “How do I know if I am a perfectionist?”, “Is perfectionism good for me?”, “How does perfectionism affect my mental and physical health?” and “How common is perfectionism?” We will also chat about studies with other researchers to provide a rich and diverse set of perspectives on these complicated questions. Perfectionism is a very complex topic so there is much to discuss! Stay tuned for our second blog post entitled “How do perfectionistic thoughts contribute to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among young adults?”
PLEASE NOTE: The information presented in this blog is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended to be used as diagnostic criteria. Perfectionism is not a recognized psychological disorder. The information in this blog is NOT a substitute for advice by an appropriate health professional. If you are experiencing distress, please contact an appropriate health professional.