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\u2014positive and negative. <\/p>\n
There are distinct differences between these two types of perfectionism. The first and greatest difference lies in their goals.<\/strong> 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. <\/p>\n Furthermore, positive perfectionists are motivated by achieving success<\/strong> and progress, whereas negative perfectionists are motivated by avoiding failure. <\/strong>Because of this, they often run away from situations where failure is possible and do not persevere to the end.<\/p>\n Another crucial difference between these two types of perfectionism is comparison<\/strong>. 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\u2014such as the coach, parents, the crowd, luck, etc.\u2014while attributing failures to themselves and their own abilities. Consequently, they damage their already fragile self-confidence even more.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\nBlack or White?<\/h5>\n
How Can I Be Positive?<\/h5>\n