Perfectionism in OCD: When the pursuit of success turns toxic

Posted by Steven J. Seay, Ph.D. | 36 comments

There is more than one type of perfectionist. First, there is the adaptive perfectionist.  This perfectionist is the prototypical workaholic student/employee who goes above and beyond expectations.  This person is intelligent, hard-working, dependable, and passionate about meeting or beating deadlines.  He or she sets high personal standards of performance and has an attention to detail that is appreciated by (and often draws accolades from) others. However, not every perfectionist resembles this prototype.  There is another type of perfectionism that might be affecting you or someone you know.  This perfectionist doesn’t quite look like the adaptive perfectionist, and based on his or her observable behavior, their perfectionism might not even be readily apparent. Nevertheless, the maladaptive perfectionist shares many features in common with the adaptive perfectionist.   Similar to the adaptive perfectionist, the maladaptive perfectionist is likely to be intelligent and articulate.  He or she has very...