Perfectionism: 16 Perfectionist Personality Traits

Are you one of the people who always prefer everything in your life to go as planned? Or are you more of those who get carried away by improvisation?

While it is true that it is preferable to have an action plan to carry out and develop our goals in life, clinging to everything goes well can become rigid and distant people who do not enjoy the least of their life, but prefer to maintain a facade of eternal perfection before the rest.

But is someone's life that perfect and unsullied? No, this could not be further from the reality that perfectionists live since, constantly worrying about their future, they do not realize that their present is deteriorating. Their obsession with perfection is so intense that even when they achieve a long-awaited success or goal they are not interested in celebrating it, because they analyze the slightest mistake, criticize the steps they took or are already planning their next move to get even more high.

We emphasize here that we do not want to imply that the one you are thinking about your next step or want to continue improving in your life is something negative, but allow yourself to enjoy the whole process, those around you and the lessons that failures can leave you.

• It may interest you: "The 16 different personality types and their description"

With all this, we can only ask you: do you consider yourself a perfectionist person? If you want to find out then keep reading this article, because we will talk about perfectionist personality traits.

What is the perfectionist personality?

Perfectionist people, perfectionism or ‘Perfectionist syndrome’ is a distorted personality type, they are characterized by having the firm belief that everything in their life must be carried out with extraordinary successFrom common household habits to career success. This implies analyzing in depth the options you have on hand to choose the most viable one to execute and which leads to fewer possible mistakes, they seek intensely the way that even this possibility is reduced to none.

Since a single mistake causes them a significant emotional distress and they tend to abandon something that they consider a waste of time or obsess over a goal until it is perfectly achieved. This shows that they are actually people with great insecurity in their abilities and they look for a way to constantly prove themselves, regardless of their own mental, physical or emotional stability.

The paradox of perfection in real life

Everything around us demands perfection, studies, maintaining our health, developing a skill, our professions, love life, etc., since doing everything perfect is a sample of how capable we are, so it is even a sign to to admire. But... How much are we willing to sacrifice to achieve perfection? Does this imply having to put aside the enjoyment of our own life just to get things done without an ounce of error?

The obsession with perfection can have severe consequences on our health, as it results in a state of mind constantly low, due to worries, stress, and anxiety about the decisions we make or the results we want search. In addition, the search for moments of relaxation is reduced, which reduces the rest necessary for the body and we even develop sleep disorders.

It also brings problems in the interpersonal and intimate sphere by not dedicating enough time to relationships, for what is not strange to see perfectionists always walking alone on their way to a success that is never enough.

Perfectionist Personality Traits

Knowing all the implications that this personality brings with it, it is time for you to know the traits that define it.

1. Overly methodical

This is the most outstanding characteristic of the perfectionist personality, since in their permanent quest to achieve nothing less than perfection they obsess over the smallest details. So they are excessively rigid with their attitude and with the plans they make to achieve something, even on tasks of daily life, to avoid that there is some margin of error and they do not conform until they follow this pattern at the bottom of the lyrics.

2. Need for control and order

Because they are very methodical in the way they perform in any area of ​​their life, they have the permanent need to have control of their actions as well as an ideal organization so that they are carried out finished. It is not surprising that perfectionists are inclined to do everything on their own, without requiring the help of no one or work as a team, unless they can have the baton and everyone follows their rules exactly as they do. make.

3. No margin for error

For perfectionists, error is synonymous with failure, regardless of its magnitude, the real impact that you have on an issue, that brings a new opportunity or that with your lesson helps you to get better. It may be a mistake that can be fixed, but having to deviate from your original plan and find yourself stuck in a momentary roadblock is a great amount of stress and emotional discomfort for him.

These can even lead to other more negative behaviors such as panic attacks, tendency to procrastination or depression.

4. All or nothing

Speaking of the procrastination tendency, perfectionists rarely manage to finish a task completely, since to achieve any goal they are They must go through unavoidable obstacles and as this causes them frustration, they prefer to put aside a task that they think is useless or delay it more and more for fear of fail. There is also the opposite extreme, where they can become so obsessed with reaching the set goal that no matter how much it costs them or how long it takes, they must achieve it.

5. They reject the opinions of others

They are extremely selfish and stubborn people, so it is normal to see them always working on their own since they only trust themselves and their vision to achieve the proposed goal. Which tends to bring problems with colleagues from work or study who want to participate, give their opinion or stand out in said shared project, since the perfectionist person will reject his opinion and even more his attempt to collaboration.

6. False liking

Perfectionism is not just limited to a person's abilities or performance at a professional level, but also involves maintaining an ideal personal image. So they strive to look neat, formal, and attractive in the eyes of others around them, so that you can earn their trust and be led by them.

This also implies behaviors of false liking where the perfectionist person pretends to feel comfortable in a place, to like him some person or manifest a momentary companionship, as long as it benefits your appearance as a perfect person in all senses.

7. Results count

They are always absorbed and concerned about the result they will obtain in their performance, so it does not bother them invest an excessive amount of time, energy and resources, if that leads to a favorable effect and Excellent. This is the reason why they do not enjoy the creative and creating process of something at all, but are always eager to get to the end.

8. Goodbye to leisure

And since they prefer to spend all their time involved in a task until it is perfect, they do not have time for their own enjoyment or with their circle. social and may even hate it, because he sees it as an unnecessary distraction to his success or that can damage his image perfect.

They also do not see the need to take a break since this is unproductive with their performance, it is ‘lost’ time that they may be investing in an improvement or that interrupts their plans elaborated. When they take some kind of rest it is also planned, including the exact hours of sleep that they will maintain.

9. Pessimistic trends

Pessimistic tendencies are very common among perfectionists since they are always expecting something bad to happen, they constantly criticize everything and hold very high themselves. Which does not allow them to enjoy or celebrate any kind of triumph, they are always visualizing the mistakes they have made and that at any moment they can fail (which is their greatest fear).

10. Lack of detachment

Perfectionists can be related to stingy and compulsive people, since they have trouble detaching themselves from objects even if they have no special value for them. If they believe that it is still functional in some way, they keep it, this behavior also leads them to strive to avoid giving up doing something, even if they have no idea how to do it.

11. Intense fear of failure

All those feelings of insecurity, pessimistic thoughts, constant stress and worries and devaluing self-criticism is for the same reason: the intense fear of failure. This is because failure is the most reliable proof that they are not perfect and that is not acceptable under any circumstances, because if they cannot be perfect, then, can they be of any use?

12. Negative self-assessments

Many people believe that perfectionists are questioning and punishing the people around them all the time when they don't Some task well and, although this behavior does exist, in reality perfectionists spend all their time cruelly criticizing themselves themselves. Thinking negative thoughts about their abilities, questioning their decisions, and thoroughly evaluating every step they take.

13. Own merits

This negative self-evaluation does not of course prevent them from seeking to have their own merit in their projects and therefore that they prefer to do everything in their own way and on their own, since they believe that it is the only ideal way to do it. That is why you will never see a perfectionist ask for help from his colleagues to carry out a job (if they need it) or prefer teamwork, where you have to share success or expose yourself to the opinions of others lead you to the defeat.

14. High level of competitiveness

On the contrary, instead of requesting help from his companions, he sees them as enemies that he must defeat to achieve his goal, so he dedicates himself more in demonstrating their value and in standing out above others, especially in showing that their ideas are the ones that bring the most results perfect.

15. Moral inflexibility

As we mentioned earlier, perfection is not limited to performance, nor is it limited to appearance, but also to your personal beliefs and values. For that reason, you can easily clash in a place or dislike a person who does not follow your same acceptable moral or social standards.

16. It's never enough

The goals that perfectionists set for themselves never have an end, this means that if they manage to reach the top, they will find some way to keep growing even by force, even if they have no problem apparent. Paradoxically, reaching their goal can become a kind of stagnation and therefore they try to visualize: what can I do to improve and continue their perfection?