Perfectionism is the need to be – or at least appear to be – flawless.

The drive to be perfect is more prevalent in today’s society than ever before.

The constant pressure from hearing and seeing an avalanche of stories about big wins, dream vacations, idealized jobs on their social media feeds, have driven many to view their own life through the lens of perfectionism.

According to research done by the American Psychological Association, compared to earlier generations, today’s youth are more driven to be perfect in academic performance, physical appearance, career, and social status. 

Their study evaluated thousands of students using a Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale to measure generational changes in perfectionism. 

The raw data revealed that today’s youth are intensely impacted by social media pressures, pushing them to try and look perfect in comparison to others who seem to be more successful. 

The APA research concluded that perfectionism is both “an irrational desire to achieve along with being overly critical of oneself and others” and can be a very destructive force. With social media acting as a powerful amplifier, it is imperative to learn how to rein in the perfectionist tendencies we carry.

How much of the pursuit of academic and professional success, material wealth, and grand lifestyles can be attributed to perfectionism? When these goals are simply expressions of perfectionism, can they possibly bring contentment and life satisfaction?

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NOTE: Here is a link to the study:

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/01/perfectionism-young-people