What Is a Perfectionist?
Perfectionism can be adaptive in the sense that the motivation to be the best can allow us to experience new things, challenge ourselves and grow as a person. Maladaptive perfectionism is the darker side to this constant striving and can significantly impact our relationships with family members, colleagues, and especially our partners. A perfectionist will often exhibit certain patterns of behavior and interactions with others that look quite different from another person who may simply be growth-oriented and striving for self-improvement.
Traits of Perfectionism
A person can demonstrate a variety of traits of perfectionism at work or within their relationships. Although most of us might relate to a few of these traits as well, it is important to remember that a perfectionist will experience these traits to an extreme. A perfectionist will often demonstrate them to such a degree that it may significantly negatively impact their work, their personal life, and relationships with family and friends.
Overthinking
When people are overthinking, they might withdraw from their partner as they go into their head and analyze a situation. They may also continually ask others for their opinion or perspective, looking for reassurance or someone else to eventually decide for them.
Doubting Decisions
The heavy analyzation does not stop after a perfectionist has come to a decision. Often their minds may show them a variety of reasons it may not have been the right choice. Fear is often driving these moments and you may see the person continuing to ask others for reassurance that they have made the right or correct choice.
Heavily Concerned Over Mistakes
Rejection, especially by those we care about, is very painful and a mistake being made can feel threatening to their longing to be accepted, approved, loved, and connected.
Critical of Self
It is no surprise that a perfectionist would be critical of themselves. Unfortunately, their self-narrative can be quite negative and run on a near-constant loop throughout the day. Self-monitoring and impression management are often seen in perfectionism, so as to not become vulnerable to judgment or rejection by others. Unfortunately, in attempting to avoid the pain of judgment by others, a perfectionist can easily find themselves in constant judgment of self as they monitor their own decision-making and behavior.
Procrastination and Avoidance
Although not often thought of with perfectionism, procrastination can often be an observable trait of a perfectionist. Being in a state of constant monitoring and doubt, a perfectionist can find themselves emotionally exhausted and avoidant of tasks. This can be the case, particularly when they have to perform in a way that may be evaluated, such as a graded project in school or a presentation at work.
Defensiveness/Reactivity
Because the self-talk of a perfectionist is so often critical, it is common for people with perfectionist tendencies to respond reactively or defensively to feedback from others. Keep in mind that one of the goals of perfectionist behavior is an attempt to avoid pain, including emotional hurt. Even healthy and constructive feedback can be received as rejection by a perfectionist and hurt deeply. The pain then activates defensive tendencies to protect themselves.
Depression
Being a perfectionist can feel draining. The constant pressures that are often felt, although many times self-induced, can leave a perfectionist feeling hopeless. Some people recognize healthy expectations of self and have an understanding of personal limitations, understanding that goals for self should be reasonable, attainable, and sustainable. Because of their all-or-nothing thinking, perfectionists are often operating in a deficit in terms of the view of self. Lacking a sense of self-efficacy, combined with unreasonable expectations of self, is a recipe for feelings of failure and possibly worthlessness. This emotional loop that a perfectionist might find themself in can bring about feelings of hopelessness and depression.
How Perfectionism Shows Up in Relationships
Being in a relationship with a perfectionist can feel challenging. Not because your perfectionist partner is unlovable, but because the rigidity of their mindset and their ultra-high expectations of self can have a rippling impact on your relationship. For example, you may begin to feel pressure to perform in similar ways or find yourself lonely in moments when your partner is consumed with perfectionist behaviors and rigid thinking. There are a variety of ways that perfectionism can impact relationships.
Critical of Partner
When a perfectionist has lived with a critical inner voice for much of their lives, constantly monitoring themself, it is understandable that they can also become critical of their partner. The perfectionist has learned to mitigate their fears of emotional hurt by performing well and doing their best to avoid mistakes. Particularly in public, where there is vulnerability to judgment by others, a partner may become hyperaware of your behavior and their own. Quick to point out a mistake or commenting on how you should behave can be signs of their fear of vulnerability showing up. This can show up as agitation, frustration, anger, and even demands.
Fear of Intimacy
When someone is critical of self, the way a perfectionist often is, they can become less aware of their needs and inner emotional world. Their focus can become rigidly set on the avoidance of pain to the degree that a perfectionist loses a sense of what actually creates and sustains emotional connection. This can leave a partner feeling lonely in the relationship with a sense of mystery to their partner’s inner world and emotional experiences. When the perfectionist is out of touch with their emotional experiences it is understandable to think it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to have the language to share their emotional experiences with their partner. Perfectionists try to avoid feeling vulnerable by controlling their behaviors and performance. Being close to someone, emotionally or physically, can present a significant threat to their emotional safety. For them, the idea of letting someone close can feel almost unbearable, even when they deeply love their partner.
Reactivity
Perfectionists are so critical of themselves that any feedback, particularly regarding a mistake or a correction in their performance with a task or skill, can be felt deeply as rejection. Understanding that a perfectionist is often operating from a narrative that they are worthy of love and connection only when they behave or perform perfectly, it is understandable that sharing feedback with a perfectionist partner might result in defensiveness and reactivity. A perfectionist partner’s reactivity can be intimidating and unpleasant for their partner. In an effort to avoid those kinds of painful moments in the relationship, the partner of a perfectionist might find themselves sharing less of their emotional experiences, harboring hurts, holding back on sharing opinions, and not feeling as if they can contribute equally in conversation. Resentment and loneliness can result and present quite the challenge for a couple where perfectionism is present.
How to Help Perfectionist Partners
When you consider the often critical inner world that a perfectionist experiences every day, and likely has experienced for years, it is understandable why and how perfectionists struggle in their romantic relationships. Their world and perspective can feel so rigid, there is no room for mistakes, and threats of emotional pain or feelings of unworthiness are around every corner. A partner can feel resentful, controlled, stifled, and alone, even when they love their perfectionist partner. So, what are some helpful things partners can do when they are in a relationship with a perfectionist?
Become Curious
The inner world of a perfectionist is complicated in that it can feel rigid yet disorganized. As you observe your partner, can you become curious to know their world? Likely, your perfectionist partner has not allowed many people close. Or, if they have tried to let someone in close, it left them hurting and potentially strengthening their desire to perform perfectly to avoid that kind of pain again.
Have Compassion
We have all experienced pain and, likewise, we have all adopted certain ways of navigating the world in hopes of not experiencing that kind of pain ever again. Perfectionists have often learned that performing well and doing their best to avoid mistakes helps them to experience less pain in the world. Emotional safety suggests that a partner can be their most authentic self and still feel a sense of love, connection, and belonging.
Establish Boundaries
Because perfectionists can be critical of themselves, you may have been on the receiving end of their criticism as well. It is important for you to be clear regarding what is okay or not okay in your patterns of interacting with one another.
Help Them Celebrate
As much as perfectionists constantly strive and focus on performing, they can often find it difficult to celebrate when things go well. Rather than enjoying the moment, they may experience a brief sense of relief from the pressures of their critical voice. Unfortunately, their inner critic often returns quickly. In addition, because perfectionists can be competitive with their partners, it may be quite difficult for them to celebrate their partner’s accomplishments or joyful moments.
Invite Them to Take a Risk
Perfectionists are pros at scanning for threats and are not often emotional risk-takers. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult for them to experience closeness and a sense of intimacy with a partner. What you might find is that they strive to stay in control of their emotions and are a bit closed off.
