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BYU Studies

BYU Studies

Keywords

toxic perfectionism, anxiety, mental health conditions

Abstract

Perfect is the enemy of good.” This phrase is derived from a French proverb, yet it is most often attributed to the famous French writer Voltaire. It observes that those striving for perfection are their own worst enemies.1 Indeed, perfectionism is overly demanding of those who struggle with it. With its irrational and impossible demands, perfectionism can cause anxiety, create high levels of distress that inhibit learning and performance, damage relationships, and diminish the quality of life for otherwise highly competent and dedicated individuals. Perfectionism can be the main problem that leads someone to seek therapeutic services from a mental health professional. Perfectionism can also appear in conjunction with several mental health conditions such as depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In someone with OCD, perfectionism around religious or moral content is called scrupulosity.

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