According to the American Psychological Association, perfectionism is increasingly connected to achievement culture. Achievement culture is a societal mindset characterized by immense emphasis on external validation; achievements are the main way one gets praise, thus this mindset causes one to tie their worth to their achievements alone. In 2020, journalist Jennifer Wallace teamed up with researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to create a survey which was distributed to parents of school age children. 6,500 responses were received, and among these, 83% of respondents felt their child’s academic success is a reflection of their parenting and 73% felt that getting into a selective college is one of the most important factors for success later in life. These results can be extrapolated to the larger societal pressures placed on teenagers regarding their success and achievements in life.
The desire to work diligently and feel accomplished is not an inherently negative thing, but an issue arises when one ties their worth to how well they perform and how few mistakes they make. Perfectionism is different from being meticulous or cautious. It is certainly possible for someone to simply want to ensure their work is thoroughly looked over, and one can also be the kind of person who just prefers to take the “safe” route, but true perfectionism is a harmful mentality that yields a net negative outcome for the individual. Through the right changes and deliberate mindset shifts, perfectionism can certainly lose its power over someone and no longer be the driving force behind their actions.