FAQs about perfectionism therapy

There are various root causes to an individual developing perfectionist tendencies, including psychological, environmental, and genetic. Common signs of perfectionist thinking are black and white thinking and overgeneralization, along with certain personality traits, such as the need for control and high conscientiousness. Environmental factors that make individuals prone to developing perfectionistic behaviors are parental influence in childhood, such as having overly critical or perfectionistic parents, not feeling valued, or feeling in competition with siblings.

Socially prescribed perfectionism is a form of perfectionism that develops after an individual believes others expect them to meet impossibly high expectations and they have learned to view their self worth as contingent on meeting impossibly high standards. In some individuals these perfectionistic behaviors developed as a survival technique or even a response to trauma. The relentless pursuit to perfection tend to give individuals an illusion they are protecting themselves from painful feelings such as shame, rejection, or criticism from others, but in actuality it is a shield that blocks individuals from living an authentic and satisfying life.

What is the root cause of perfectionism?

Individuals with perfectionist tendencies may hold certain cognitive biases around seeking support from a therapist, such as believing it is a sign of weakness or failure. We want to highlight that seeking professional support is a smart and courageous act that many high-achieving people do to remain successful long-term. Therapy can provide numerous benefits for individuals struggling with perfectionism, helping them to develop healthier attitudes and behaviors. Perfectionists tend to be highly self critical and disappointed when making mistakes. Not only does perfectionistic strivings affect one's personal growth, these unrealistic expectations can extend to one's romantic or dating life. Our therapists can help with cognitive restructuring, which is cognitive therapy that is identifying and challenging dysfunctional beliefs and replacing them with more helpful ones. During therapy sessions your therapist will help you evaluate the consequences of having unreasonably high standards and help you test out more realistic goal setting. Your therapist can help you test out your fears and help you evaluate how realistic goals will actually set you up for a more sustainable way to succeed in life. To break free from perfectionistic thinking takes courage and support and our therapists would be honored to be a part of your journey to better mental health.

Can a therapist help with perfectionism?

Understanding root causes can help in treating perfectionism through psychological interventions and therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT), which can help individual's modify distorted thinking patterns and increase their self awareness and compassion. Cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in helping individuals change dichotomous thinking by identifying and challenging irrational, perfectionistic beliefs and impossible standards imposed on self. Other key components of cognitive behaviour therapy include behavioral experiments, such as engaging in less perfectionistic behavior to see what happens and learning that less-than-perfect outcomes are acceptable and exposure therapy, which could be gradually confronting fears of failure or making mistakes in a controlled way to reduce anxiety and self criticism. If you're looking for a therapist for perfectionism you're in the right place. Our team is trained in these perfectionism interventions to treat clinical perfectionism that is making it difficult to live in the present moment.

What is the best treatment for perfectionism?