Perfectionism can be deadly
Sense of not feeling good enough linked to suicide
“Perfectionism is associated with a chronic sense of failure — good enough is never good enough. The perfectionist often feels, unnecessarily, that they have failed.”
Perfectionism kills, a new study says.
“We found a robust link between perfectionism and suicide. We found that perfectionism, as a part of a person’s personality, may place them at risk of more suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts over time,” said Dalhousie researcher Simon Sherry, who conducted the study with a group of other researchers.
“Perfectionism is associated with a chronic sense of failure — good enough is never good enough. The perfectionist often feels, unnecessarily, that they have failed.”
According to the findings set to be published in the September 2017 Journal of Personality, the ways perfectionism contributes to suicide are under-recognized and misunderstood.
There’s a gap between what people believe about perfectionism and what science shows to be true, he said.
“People often have a favourable and rosy view of perfectionism. In opposition to that, we’ve found perfectionism places people at risk for suicide,” he said.
In fact, perfectionism makes people feel like they want to die, he said.
“We’d say that perfectionism is a potential killer,” Sherry said.
The Perniciousness of Perfectionism: A MetaAnalytic Review of the Perfectionism-Suicide Relationship is a meta-analysis, a study that summarizes a body of research from 45 studies done over 50 years, drawing conclusions from a statistical average of available research literature on perfectionism and suicide.
The research revealed that perfectionism has many shades, from socially-prescribed perfectionism, concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and perfectionistic attitudes to perfectionistic strivings, personal standards, parental criticism, and parental expectations.
“Perfectionistic strivings’ association with suicide ideation also draws into question the notion that such strivings are healthy, adaptive, or advisable,” the study found.
The paper cites the Alaska Suicide Follow-Back Study of the Alaska Injury Prevention Center. In 2007, interviews with family and friends of people who completed suicide found 56 per cent were described as perfectionistic.
“Perfectionists can get to a place of unbearable psychological pain where they feel disconnected with other people and where they feel a devastating sense of failure.”
Interviews with parents of adolescents who completed suicide revealed 68.1 per cent reported their child’s “high demands and expectations” — hallmarks of perfectionism — were contributing factors, the paper found.
“We know perfectionism generates an awful lot of stress — in fact, it seems perfectionists are chronically stressed,” Sherry said.
“Perfectionists can get to a place of unbearable psychological pain where they feel disconnected with other people and where they feel a devastating sense of failure.”
World Health Organization statistics show one person commits suicide every 45 seconds and a million commit suicide every year — while 10-20 million attempt suicide annually.
Suicide claims more lives than homicide and war combined. It’s the second-leading cause of death among American adolescents and it costs the U.S. economy $51 billion annually, the study found.
Then there is the lingering human impact of suicide; each case seriously affects at least six people.
Other authors of Sherry’s study include Martin M. Smith, Samantha Chen and Donald H. Saklofske of the University of Western Ontario, Christopher Mushquash of Lakehead University, Gordon L. Flett of York University, and Paul L. Hewitt of the University of British Columbia.
The study’s results do not suggest perfectionism is the sole factor in all suicides, but that it can shed light on suicidal behaviours above and beyond factors like depression and hopelessness, Sherry said.
So what can be done in a world where the ideal is projected as ideal?
“I think the number one thing is to seek help. Perfectionists are often reluctant to seek help and they’re reluctant to admit they’re not perfect,” he said.
Connectivity is made more difficult by perfectionism. People with perfectionistic tendencies may frequently feel dissatisfied with others and disconnected from them — and the desire to present a perfect front keeps people from getting help.
“Unfortunately, perfectionism itself seems to be a barrier to help-seeking . . . Perfectionists often present an outward façade of perfection to the world, and hide their distress behind it,” Sherry said.
“They need to break through the façade and seek help for their distress.”