What Is Perfectionism?

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Perfectionism is rising among college students and significantly impacts both achievement and well-being.

Perfectionism creates cycles of overwork, procrastination, and chronic stress and many to feel "enough."

Recognizing perfectionist patterns is the first step toward healthier thinking and behaviors.

Perfectionism is something we must pay attention to when it comes to college mental health. Many studies have shown that perfectionism is rising in college student populations. Recent surveys show that a majority of college students are struggling with perfectionism—65-84 percent—and it has a tremendous impact on achievement and well-being.

What is perfectionism?

Perfectionism isn’t simply about striving to do well or aiming for excellence. Perfectionism is the belief that we must do well every time and all the time and that how well we do is a measure of our value as a person.

A college student’s sense of self thus depends on how well they do in class, how good they look, how smart they are (compared to others), how many friends they have, and so on. Then, if something doesn’t go well, and things never go well all the time, it is not just disappointing—it’s devastating.

How does perfectionism affect students?

Perfectionism leads to cycles of negative thoughts and behaviors. Students work hard, but it never feels like enough. The reality of college is that students are being judged on every assignment in every class. This can lead to constant comparison, both with other students and with the ideal of the “best student.”

What are some perfectionistic behaviors?

Overworking, especially on weekend nights when everyone else is playing.

Being overscheduled, by taking every possible class, joining multiple student organizations, doing an internship, doing volunteer work, working jobs for money, and attending to family responsibilities.

How does perfectionism feel?

Feeling overwhelmed and miserable, since it is never possible to keep up with and do well at everything every day.

Even when the appropriate work is completed, worry remains; there is no off switch to feeling stressed.

When doing something fun, it’s hard to let go and truly enjoy it, since we feel we should be studying or doing something productive.

What other ways does perfectionism show up?

It leads to a high rate of procrastination as people get stuck by fear of not being good enough.

Not spending time doing activities that are pleasurable or meaningful if the person can’t be “the best” at them or if the activity doesn’t serve a practical purpose, like looking good on a résumé.

Decision-making becomes debilitating because there are so many right answers and an intense fear of making the wrong choice.

How can we best cope with perfectionism?

Admit that perfectionism is a problem: We live in a productivity culture, so it is a radical act to admit that trying to be perfect every day is a problem.

Assess the particular brand of perfectionism: Every person has a slightly different way of telling themselves they have to “do more” to “be OK,” so it can be very challenging to identify and name the specific version of perfectionism.

Recognize perfectionistic messages: Remember, simply recognizing negative thought patterns and labeling them as they happen is half the battle to healing.

Consider family and cultural sources of perfectionism: Whether it is expecting a high level of achievement or excellence from their children or students who feel they are representing their whole culture, there is a great variety of ways to develop perfectionism.

What Is Perfectionism?

Take our Perfectionism Test

Find a therapist near me

When is it time to seek help for perfectionism?

If three or more of the following statements feel familiar, speaking with a campus counselor or mental health professional can be a helpful next step.

Studying or completing assignments brings little to no joy, even when the work goes well.

It is difficult to be present with friends or loved ones without thinking about tasks left undone.

Sleep, meals, and self-care are regularly sacrificed in pursuit of doing more or doing better.

No matter the effort put in, the result rarely feels good enough.

Feeling haunted by the thought that others are managing life better, or that personal efforts always fall short.

To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

Alva, A., Aich, N., Bastoni, A., Budhraja, A., Cheong, E., Hunt, N., Nair, L., Lempesis, N., Premachandran, E., Tan, E., & Volk, K. (2022, February 24). Striving to be the best: The prevalence of perfectionism in young people and the impact on their achievement and well-being. OxJournal. https://www.oxjournal.org/striving-to-be-the-best/

Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2019). Perfectionism is increasing over time: A meta-analysis of birth cohort differences from 1989 to 2016. Psychological Bulletin, 145, 410–429.

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