The end of the school year is coming. No more early mornings and cramming for exams. No more stress about receiving grades, comparing them with classmates and teaching them at home. The start of the holidays means the end of one of the main sources of stress for teenage boys and girls. Although feeling stressed […] … learn more→

From a very young age, some children may show signs of perfectionism. When they are very young, they can tear up their drawing if they don’t think it’s completely correct. Later, they may avoid doing their homework, or refuse to do it altogether, for fear of making a mistake. Perfectionism can lead them to feel […] … learn more→

Depending on the circumstances, perfectionism can be an asset or a defect, at school or at work. And when it leads to a performance gain, it can be overshadowed by wellness issues . Links have thus been established between perfectionism and burnout or depression . Evidence of these types of negative effects can be found in many contexts, and particularly among young people, […] … learn more→

Depending on the circumstances, perfectionism can lead to better performance in school or at work. Or it can make performance worse. But any performance gains are likely to be outweighed by wellbeing issues. There are links between perfectionism and burnout and depression, for example. Evidence for these types of negative effects has been found in a range of settings, […] … learn more→

Student performance matters. Students who perform well have better health, earn a larger income and contribute more to society than those who perform poorly. As a consequence, psychologists, teachers and even parents have spent a great deal of time and effort trying to understand what makes or breaks success. Personality factors that explain how people differ may […] … learn more→

I realised the other day, in the midst of a brutal surge of anxiety about my PhD, that I never fully commit… to… A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G…. UNLESS I am assured it will be successful. Mistakes? Phooey. Perfection. YES! Pleasing and impressing. YES! Life’s Journey in a straight line. YES! I am a recovering perfectionist, as so beautifully […] … learn more→

The phenomenon of perfectionism has grown considerably over the last twenty-five years, affecting men as well as women. That’s what we learned from recently leading one of the most important studies ever done on perfectionism . And we have also learned that perfectionists become more and more neurotic and unstable, and less reliable and organized over time. Perfectionism […] … learn more→