This worksheet assists clients in evaluating their demanding standards, fostering the development of more flexible and constructive guidelines for performance.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
Striving to meet high standards can be a rewarding experience and can lead to significant improvements. However, these demanding standards may also have negative consequences, leading to emotional, social, and behavioral challenges. The Evaluating Your Demanding Standards worksheet is designed to assist clients in reassessing their high expectations and developing more flexible and supportive guidelines for their performance.
Demanding standards contribute to emotional, social, and behavioral difficulties. This worksheet empowers clients to scrutinize these standards and devise more balanced guidelines.
Characterized by rigid, self-imposed standards and a fear of making mistakes.
Inflexible standards that contribute to excessive worry and avoidance.
Perfectionism exacerbates feelings of inadequacy and failure.
High standards concerning eating, shape, and weight.
Encourage clients to identify a demanding standards they impose on themselves.
Examine evidence supporting or contradicting the fairness and accuracy of the standard.
Clarify what clients hope to achieve by setting such standards.
Develop a flexible 'guideline' that could achieve the desired outcome.
Develop experiments to test the new guideline.
Individuals can set demanding high standards in almost any life domain, including their work, appearance, bodily hygiene, social and romantic relationships, eating habits, health, time management, hobbies, leisure activities, sports, orderliness, and several others (Stoeber & Stoeber, 2009).
Striving to meet demanding standards can be a rewarding process and lead to significant gains (e.g., praise, social status, financial rewards, etc.). However, demanding standards can also have adverse consequences and cause emotional (e.g., depression), social (e.g., isolation), and behavioral (e.g., procrastination) difficulties (Egan et al., 2014).
