Understanding Perfectionism

An accessible and informative guide to understanding perfectionism, written specifically for clients.

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Guide (PDF)

A psychoeducational guide. Typically containing elements of skills development.

Overview

Our ‘Understanding…’ series is a collection of psychoeducation guides for common mental health conditions. Friendly and explanatory, they are comprehensive sources of information for your clients. Concepts are explained in an easily digestible way, with plenty of case examples and accessible diagrams. Understanding Perfectionism is designed to help clients with perfectionism to understand more about their condition.

Why Use This Resource?

This guide aims to help clients learn more about clinical perfectionism. It explains what perfectionism is, what the common symptoms are, and effective ways to address it, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

  • Identify signs of clinical perfectionism and the factors that contribute to it.
  • Understand what keeps clinical perfectionism going.
  • Explore effective treatments for clinical perfectionism.
  • Gain insights into how people experience clinical perfectionism and how they overcome it.

Key Benefits

Comprehensive

Explores what clinical perfectionism is and what maintains it.

Relatable

Contains detailed examples and relatable case studies.

Supportive

Written in a friendly and accessible manner.

Hopeful

Outlines effective treatment options.

Who is this for?

Clinical Perfectionism

Designed to help clients understand and learn more about clinical perfectionism.

Integrating it into your practice

01

Assess

Identify clients who may be experiencing clinical perfectionism.

02

Share

Provide the guide to clients who could benefit from it.

03

Educate

Use the content to inform clients about perfectionism and help normalize their experiences.

04

Reflect

Discuss the client's personal experience with perfectionism.

05

Intervene

Plan treatment with the client or direct them to other sources of help and support.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

Striving toward personal goals and ambitions can be a valuable and fulfilling part of life, often associated with a sense of achievement and personal growth. However, for some clients, this drive can become problematic - particularly when they impose excessively high standards on themselves in areas such as performance, appearance, or behaviour.

When clients evaluate their self-worth primarily through the lens of achievement, or when the pursuit of these standards leads to significant distress or impairment, they may be experiencing clinical perfectionism.

Clinical perfectionism can be a clinically significant difficulty in its own right. It is also recognised as a contributing factor to a range of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders. Importantly, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective psychological intervention for addressing perfectionism and its associated difficulties.

What's inside

  • Introduction to clinical perfectionism.
  • Guidance for introducing and using the resource with clients.
  • Key references for learning more about clinical perfectionism.
Get access to this resource

FAQs

Helpful perfectionism involves high yet realistic standards that do not interfere with well-being, whereas unhelpful perfectionism involves unattainable standards that lead to distress.
Important maintenance factors often include pursuing extremely high standards, being dissatisfied with one's success, and basing self-worth on success and achievement.
CBT is an effective therapy that focuses on addressing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors that maintain clinical perfectionism.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

By using this resource in their clinical practice, therapists can:

  • Identify individuals who may be experiencing clinical perfectionism.
  • Help clients better understand their difficulties and what maintains them.
  • Explore treatment options.
  • Encourage hope and optimism about change.

References And Further Reading

  • Smith, M. M., Hewitt, P. L., Sherry, S. B., Flett, L. G., & Ray, C. (2022). Parenting behaviors and trait perfectionism: A meta-analytic test of the social expectations and social learning models. Journal of Research in Personality, 96, 104180.
  • Maloney, G. K., Egan, S. J., Kane, R. T., & Rees, C. (2014). An etiological model of perfectionism. PLOS ONE 9(5): e94757. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0094757.
  • Stricker, J., Buecker, S., Schnieder, M., & Preckel, F. (2019). Multidimensional perfectionism and the Big Five personality traits: A meta-analysis. European Journal of Personality, 33, 176-196.
  • Limburg, K., Watson, H. J., Hagger, M. S., & Egan, S. J. (2017). The relationship between perfectionism and psychopathology: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73, 1301-1326.
  • Smith, M. M., Sherry, S. B., Ray, C., Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (2021). Is perfectionism a vulnerability factor for depressive symptoms, a complication of depressive symptoms, or both? A meta-analytic test of 67 longitudinal studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 84, 101982.
  • Lloyd, S., Schmidt, U., Khondoker, M., & Tchanturia, K. (2015). Can psychological interventions reduce perfectionism? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 43, 705-731.
  • Suh, H., Sohn, H., Kim, T., & Lee, D. G. (2019). A review and meta-analysis of perfectionism interventions: Comparing face-to-face with online modalities. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 66, 473.
  • Shafran, R., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. (2002). Clinical perfectionism: A cognitive behavioral analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 773-791.
  • Shafran, R., Egan, S. J., & Wade, T. (2010). Overcoming perfectionism: A self-help guide using cognitive-behavioral techniques. Constable and Robinson.
  • Galloway, R., Watson, H., Greene, D., Shafran, R., & Egan, S. J. (2022). The efficacy of randomized controlled trials of cognitive behavior therapy for perfectionism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 51, 170-184.
  • Robinson, K., & Wade, T. D. (2021). Perfectionism interventions targeting disordered eating: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54, 473-487.
  • Egan, S. J., Wade, T. D., Shafran, R., & Antony, M. M. (2014). Cognitive behavioral treatment of perfectionism. Guilford Press.

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