The Anxious Achiever The Roots of Perfectionism and How We Can Change
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May 28, 2025 Thomas Greenspon, a psychologist and author, dives deep into the world of perfectionism, shedding light on its origins and effects on mental health. He discusses how perfectionism can both fuel success and lead to detrimental anxiety, revealing a complex relationship with self-esteem. Greenspon explores childhood influences that shape perfectionistic behaviors and critiques societal pressures that glorify this mindset. He emphasizes the importance of fostering a nurturing environment, especially for parents, to promote unconditional love and acceptance of mistakes.
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Greenspon's Writing Perfectionism
- Thomas Greenspon struggled with perfectionism when writing, tearing up paragraphs that weren't perfect to him.
- This self-criticism made writing a burden, leading him to stop writing for a long time.
Perfectionism as Self-Esteem Issue
- Perfectionism is rooted in self-esteem issues, where mistakes are equated with being defective.
- This leads perfectionists to feel less acceptable when they make errors, driving their anxious behaviors.
Perfectionism Can Impede Success
- Highly perfectionistic people are generally less successful than less perfectionistic peers.
- Perfectionism causes anxiety that often impedes success rather than promotes it.