Perfectionism is at once idealistic and cynical.

On the one hand, it entails a childlike imagination, with detailed visions of utopias. On the other, a total disenchantment with life. Some of us can bounce from obsessive attempts at fixing the broken world to retreating into our minds, where our frustrations are magically transformed into more desirable feelings, kind of like what so many expect from therapy. This version of fantasy is called maladaptive daydreaming, which is an excessive preoccupation with the cultivated worlds in one's mind. Maladaptive daydreaming is associated with a sense of hopelessness and an inability to tolerate even minor inconveniences. The individual, here, perpetually feels dissatisfied with life, as few of its aspects can ever live up to his hopes for it.

Imagine living a life wherein unless it reached its full potential, you would die disgusted by its existence. This describes how perfectionists experience themselves, which stems from the extremes of upbringing.

Many people use fantasy to escape the harshness of daily life, believing that, someday, their magical, future lives will offset past and chronic abuse and neglect. Others use it to escape from the suffocating pressures placed on them by doting parents, who wouldn't settle for having ordinary sons and daughters; they believe they deserve, and owe it to their families, to be and have the best. For each of these perfectionists, fantasy offers a respite from what is and could be, from the inevitable........

© Psychology Today