What is "perfectionism"

Perfectionism \Per*fec"tion*ism\, n. The doctrine of the Perfectionists.

n. 1 A dislike for anything less than perfection 2 A belief that spiritual perfection may be achieved during life, or that it should be striven for

n. a disposition to feel that anything less than perfect is unacceptable; "his perfectionism seemed excessive to his students"

Perfectionism may refer to:

• Perfectionism (psychology), a personality trait
• Perfectionism (philosophy), a persistence of will
• Christian perfection, doctrine associated with John Wesley
• Perfectionist movement; see Oneida Community, a Christian sect
• Perfectionist (album), by Natalia Kills

In ethics and value theory, perfectionism is the persistence of will in obtaining the optimal quality of spiritual, mental, physical, and material being. The neo-Aristotelean Thomas Hurka describes perfectionism as follows:

This moral theory starts from an account of the good life, or the intrinsically desirable life. And it characterizes this life in a distinctive way. Certain properties, it says, constitute human nature or are definitive of humanity—they make humans human. The good life, it then says, develops these properties to a high degree or realizes what is central to human nature. Different versions of the theory may disagree about what the relevant properties are and so disagree about the content of the good life. But they share the foundational idea that what is good, ultimately, is the development of human nature.

The perfectionist does not necessarily believe that one can attain a perfect life or state of living. Rather, a perfectionist practices steadfast perseverance in obtaining the best possible life or state of living.

Perfectionism, in psychology, is a personality trait characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high performance standards, accompanied by overly critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional characteristic, as psychologists agree that there are many positive and negative aspects. In its maladaptive form, perfectionism drives people to attempt to achieve an unattainable ideal, and their adaptive perfectionism can sometimes motivate them to reach their goals. In the end, they derive pleasure from doing so. When perfectionists do not reach their goals, they often fall into depression.