Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt that something wasn’t good enough if it wasn’t perfect? Do you think this is a good or bad way of thinking? Where do we draw the line when it comes to perfection? Perfectionism, as a striving for perfection, was long considered a single, general concept. However, some researchers have concluded that there are two types of perfectionism—positive and negative.
Positive and Negative Perfectionism
There are distinct differences between these two types of perfectionism. The first and greatest difference lies in their goals. Although both groups set quite high goals for themselves, those with high positive perfectionism expect a lot from themselves, have achievable goals, and possess a well-defined path to reach them. On the other hand, those with high negative perfectionism set excessively high goals that are difficult to achieve and lack a plan on how to reach them; even if they do achieve them, they are not satisfied and do not know how to enjoy the fruits of their hard work and effort.
Furthermore, positive perfectionists are motivated by achieving success and progress, whereas negative perfectionists are motivated by avoiding failure. Because of this, they often run away from situations where failure is possible and do not persevere to the end.
Another crucial difference between these two types of perfectionism is comparison. What do we mean by comparison? The difference is that positive perfectionists seek personal progress and want to be better than they were yesterday, while negative perfectionists want to be better than others and are always comparing themselves to an opponent, a teammate, or even an idol. What stems from this is higher self-confidence and lower competitive anxiety among positive perfectionists, leading to better results and a more secure performance. Negative perfectionists are often tense, stressed, and have a poor self-image. What contributes to this even further is that negative perfectionists attribute their successes to external causes—such as the coach, parents, the crowd, luck, etc.—while attributing failures to themselves and their own abilities. Consequently, they damage their already fragile self-confidence even more.
Black or White?
Did you recognize yourself in some of these traits? You might think you have to choose which type of perfectionist you are. However, it is not all black or white. We all have the potential to score highly on both scales. If someone is high on the positive perfectionism scale, it does not mean they are automatically low on the negative perfectionism scale. We frequently encounter athletes who score highly on both.
How Can I Be Positive?
Did you find yourself in the description of negative perfectionism more than you would like? The good news is that this is something you can work on, and you can bring out the absolute best of the positive side within you. We are here to help you with that. First, you must learn how to set good goals, which we have already written about. The most important thing is to set smaller, daily goals that will help increase your self-confidence, giving you a sense of achievement every single day. When you accomplish something, reward yourself, even if it is just with a kind thought (“Well done, champ! See, you can do it!”).
Work on positive thoughts daily and do not let mistakes ruin your good self-image. Mistakes happen to everyone, and they are there for us to learn from, progress, and become better. All people make mistakes, and that is completely normal!
Task-orientation and a focus on effort is another thing that can help you build a better self-image. Results and performance are influenced by many things that are outside of our control, but what is 100% within our control is our effort! No one can stop you from giving your all every day, at every practice, and at every competition or game. The result might not always follow, but if you know that you gave it your absolute all, you will go to bed at the end of the day satisfied and happy with yourself.
So, do not hesitate – reach out to us for a free info meeting to find out more about our way of working and to unlock your full potential.
