“I Need to Be Perfect or Else the World’s Gonna End”: A Qualitative Analysis of Adolescent Perfectionists’ Expression and Understanding of Their Perfectionism

Abstract

Converging evidence indicates that the high prevalence of perfectionism and associated pressures to be perfect among adolescents constitute a growing societal problem, especially given concerns about the mental health of young people. This qualitative study sought to understand how adolescent perfectionists recruited from the community define and think about perfectionism. Semistructured interviews were completed with 46 self-identified adolescent perfectionists (Mage = 16.33 years, SD = 1.93; 44 females, 2 males). Analyses yielded new key insights about how adolescent perfectionists define and think about perfectionism. Themes that emerged confirmed the multidimensionality of perfectionism and associated self-evaluative, self-presentational, and cognitive tendencies. Unique themes included the role of social comparison and the commitment to perfectionism despite recognizing the costs. The picture that emerged from this work is that perfectionism is exceptionally complex at the construct level and has elements that account for the heterogeneity that exists among adolescents who all share the self-identified label of being “a perfectionist.” Most notably, this work highlights the importance of understanding the need to be perfect and how perfectionism goes well beyond striving for excellence. The implications of this work are considered in terms of assessment, prevention, and practice.