Atelophobia (imperfection phobia): symptoms, causes and treatment

We all know that nowadays we live in a competitive world in which there is a high level of competition and demand regarding our actions. At the work level we are asked to be productive, efficient, proactive, adaptable, able to work as a team, good colleagues and organized. And this not only at the work level, but also in facets such as the couple we find ourselves with a high level of demand and competitiveness.

This hectic pace makes some people think that they don't just have to be good but they must always seek excellence, and even perfection in everything they are or what they do. do. And even, in some cases, even phobic symptoms may arise from not reaching perfection. This is the case of those who suffer from atelophobia, a peculiar phobia that we are going to talk about in this article.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

What is atelophobia?

Atelophobia is a rare phobia, which we could consider specific despite the fact that its phobic object is rather subjective and can vary enormously from one person to another. As a phobia that it is, we are not talking about a simple discomfort, but about the existence of

an irrational and disproportionate fear and panic to the presence of an object, being or specific situation (to the point of being able to trigger attacks panic), generating this fear the avoidance of the phobic stimulus or situations in which it could appear.

In the specific case of atelophobia the phobic stimulus is imperfection, or rather fail to achieve perfection with their actions, ideas or beliefs. In some cases, this can also extend to the behavior of others and not only to one's own.

It is easy to think of atelophobia as perfectionism, but we must bear in mind that it is not limited to it: a real anxiety and unusual somatic and behavioral reactions out of proportion to the possible risk that could suppose.

This means that the person with atelophobia will fear the idea of ​​doing something that is not perfect, avoiding situations where you can do it or spending a lot of time trying to get things done perfect. The symptoms do not end there, but the presence of some type of imperfection can generate the appearance of tachycardia, hyperventilation, tremors, nausea and vomiting or cold sweats, among others, being this a reflection of the psychic discomfort or anxiety caused by the presence of the feared stimulus.

• You may be interested in: "Perfectionist Personality: The Disadvantages of Perfectionism"

Consequences

The symptoms described above can suppose a high level of interference, generally being much higher than that of other phobias. And it is that in the first place, atelophobia supposes a fear of imperfection that it can occur at any time, place and situation, with which the tension is more permanent. And also, it has a direct implication for self-esteem and personal self-concept.

Thus, it is common for people who have this type of phobia to never be satisfied with themselves and have a very low self-concept and self-esteem. They will also have a high level of demand regarding their own behavior, never being anything of what they do well enough and always comparing their performance with that of those who do best every time. stuff. This discomfort causes them to generally present depressive symptoms and even some irritability and hostility.

And not only with themselves: they also demand a lot from others. This can cause these people to have severe difficulties in their social, work and work relationships. couple when considering that her relationships and performance with all of them, and theirs with him/her, should be perfect. To this is also added the continuous self-criticism, which can generate a certain rejection of being present permanently.

At work, in addition to social difficulties, they can also lose a large amount of time trying to improve or perfect results that were already good, losing efficiency and productivity.

In some cases, this problem can also cause problems with the body itself, although it is not so common since the fear itself is usually that of our behavior and its results is not perfect, being quite specific in the sense that it is "what we do, think or believe" that is usually judged and not so much the physical.

However, there are cases in which it has also been linked to the presence of eating disorders: problems may appear when atelophobia is mixed with exercise or diet to the point of losing quality of life and damaging one's own health.

In addition to all this, it must be remembered that the subject will tend to avoid situations in which it is easy for his actions not to be perfect, which can lead to isolation and the cessation of a large number of activities, both work and leisure. Attempts to try new things or train to consolidate a skill can also be eliminated by avoiding exposing themselves to the risk of not being good.

Causes

The origin of atelophobia, as in most mental disorders, is not entirely clear. And it is that there are multiple factors that interact when a mental health problem arises.

In the first place, there may be a certain biological predisposition, such as a low physiological activation threshold or the inheritance of somewhat perfectionist personality traits. This predisposition or vulnerability is only such, but the experience of certain events or the learning certain ways of acting can converge with it to favor the appearance of atelophobia.

At a less generic level, it has been observed that it is common for those who suffer from atelophobia to have had a restrictive upbringing or Throughout their childhood they have received a high level of criticism, their performance never being enough to please their around. An excessively demanding and rigid education it can lead to the thought that they will never be good enough.

It can also appear in cases in which it has been experienced that not being able to do something well enough has had severe consequences in their lives, something that may have led them to generalize in such a way that they fear that not being perfect has consequences.

Linkage with other disorders

Atelophobia is a difficult disorder to diagnose, which can be confused with the aforementioned perfectionism that can enter into a typical behavior, or that it could also be easily confused with various disorders.

It is possible to observe some relationship with a very specific group of disorders: obsessive disorders. The best known of them is the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD, specifically being more similar in those cases whose obsessions are linked to aspects such as cleanliness, order, verification or morality. In both cases there is concern for their own actions and there is a high level of self-demand. The worry and anxiety that they feel in both cases can lead them to compensatory acts, and they dedicate a great deal of time to said worries. However, in atelophobia there are no obsessions or compulsions as such.

Possibly the one with which atelophobia has the most similarity is with a disorder similar to the previous one: the Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (although the name is similar to OCD, here there are no obsessions or compulsions, it is more stable and the characteristics of the disorder are integrated into the personality), in which the aforementioned perfectionism is persistently present and which It can generate a high level of maladjustment and suffering, both one's own and that of others, as the individual requires that everything be ordered and well done.

It is common for there to be problems of social adjustment and even some anxiety. The truth is that atelophobia could appear in a person with this type of personality and in fact these types of people are much more prone, but they should not be identified. In the first place, because atelophobia is a more specific disorder that does not have to be part of the person's identity, in addition to the fact that the fear of failure does not have to generate physiological symptoms in obsessive personality disorder compulsive.

Another aspect to take into account is the possibility that atelophobia is linked to physical appearance, and may pose a serious risk of developing some type of eating disorder or dysmorphic disorder bodily.

Imperfection phobia treatment

The treatment of atelophobia shares with that of most phobias the fact that it is based on exposure to feared stimuli. Thus, it is intended that the subject be capable, either by exposure or systematic desensitization, of not manifesting an anxious response to imperfection. Make a hierarchy of especially phobic situations and work progressively so that the subject remains in the situation or else generates a response incompatible with the Anxious response is one of the most common therapies, and must be carried out through a negotiation between the professional and patient.

Likewise, in this case it is essential to work through the cognitive restructuring, through which we can try to modify the beliefs regarding our own personal efficacy and the need to do everything perfectly. For this, it may be useful to work previously on the origin of this fear, what it meant then and what it means now, what meaning the patient gives it, how it affects him and when it appears.

Likewise, it will be necessary to work on the level of self-expectation and the existence of cognitive distortions. Therapies that work on self-gratification and self-esteem They will also be of great help to improve the emotional situation of the patient. If the anxiety is unbearable for the patient, it is possible to use some anti-anxiety drugs in such a way that the symptoms are reduced and psychological work can begin.