Answers
Do you look at other people’s lives and compare them to your own? Does this make you question whether you are smart, fit or happy enough?
If so, then you may be a perfectionist. Writing for the Guardian earlier this year, clinical psychologist Linda Blair described a perfectionist as a person: “who strives for flawlessness, for a perfect creation, outcome or performance ... They find it difficult to delegate, even if that means neglecting their health, relationships and wellbeing in pursuit of a ‘perfect’ outcome.”
According to some studies, this is something that largely affects women. A US survey in 2009 found that women are also more likely than men to experience feelings of inadequacy at home and at work, and a larger proportion felt they failed to meet their own high standards.
These insecurities are well-documented in the world of work: in 2011, the Institute of Leadership and Management found half of female managers, compared with fewer than a third of the male ones, reported self-doubt in their performance. An internal survey of women working at Hewlett-Packard also found women applied for a promotion only when they met 100% of the qualifications. Men applied when they met just 50%.
The desire to be perfect seems to influence thinking from a young age: research by Girlguiding UK found that a quarter of seven- to 10-year-old girls felt the need to be perfect.
Perfectionism can have serious implications: it’s been linked to anxiety and depression, and the health and happiness of young women is a growing concern. In fact a NHS study found 28.2% of 16- to 24-year-olds have a mental health condition, with one in four women aged 16 to 24 experiencing anxiety, depression, panic disorder, phobia or obsessive compulsive disorder.