Category: Perfectionism

Gifted and driven: Striving for excellence & being a perfectionist

Gifted and driven: Striving for excellence & being a perfectionist

Mia Wasikowska earned acclaim for her intense performance in the HBO series “In Treatment.”
She plays the title role in the new “Alice in Wonderland,” and notes that at age 20 she is still fairly new to acting:
“I was at dance school doing about 35 hours practice a week until I was 14. Then ballet started [...]

Developed minds can be dismissive

The image is food critic Anton Ego from the movie Ratatouille [video clip].
I was reminded of the stuffy and dour character while reading Laura Berman Fortgang’s The Little Book on Meaning , and her reference below to “high analytical ability.. often black-and-white thinkers.. Quick to decide what is good and what is bad..”
I know [...]

The self-destructive side of perfectionism and giftedness

Three types of perfectionists
In his article on the subject, Benedict Carey of The New York Times explores how there are, in fact, problems resulting from some kinds of striving for perfection.
He writes, “Some researchers divide perfectionists into three types, based on answers to standardized questionnaires: Self-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high [...]

Ashley Judd: “If I engage in perfectionism, I am abusing myself.”

Compensating for chaos
Ashley Judd reveals in a magazine interview [Glamour, August 2006] that earlier this year, she participated in a 47-day treatment program to overcome lifelong emotional problems including depression, isolation and co-dependent relationships.
“I needed help,” Judd says. “I was in so much pain.”
With a “chaotic” and “dysfunctional” childhood, Judd, 38, says she compensated by [...]

Striving for excellence: “Perfectionism has taken a bum rap.”

“He is a relentless perfectionist who never allows a single detail to go by without notice. Jerry Bruckheimer [right] is a consummate filmmaker.. because you know that you are always going to get 120% from Jerry on anything that he does. I don’t think it is any great mystery that he has been so successful: [...]