The extreme of perfectionism: obsessive disorder

Perfectionism is a concept that we use a lot in psychology. It is the conviction that many people have that perfection can, and also must, be achieved. That is, the extreme of good work, without errors and without mistakes. So that the result obtained pleases everyone.

But is this possible? Obviously the answer is no. Perfectionism is an unrealistic attitude and can lead to the deadliest suffering. Although… on the other hand it is still true that the perfectionist attitude has a positive side: the artists who continue their work until they get the canvas they imagined in their head or the surgeon who does not close the intervention until he is one hundred percent convinced that he has completely removed the tumor.

This attitude is beneficial, but it must be clear that these people, despite being perfectionists with themselves, do not believe in absolute perfectionism. They take risks and make efforts, wanting to do their best, but knowing that they will have to allow themselves the error that all your actions and results will have.

These people fall into an obsession with avoiding the negative, the error, what They do not tolerate it happening and this ends up paralyzing them to the point of limiting almost his entire life. In this sense, we are talking about one of the most common outlets for this type of perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive compulsive disorder and DSM-V

This is a general pattern of concern for order, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control. It manifests itself at the expense of flexibility, spontaneity and efficiency. It begins at the beginning of adulthood and occurs in various contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following items:

Concern about details, rules, lists, order, organization or schedules. To the point of losing sight of the main objective of the activity. Perfectionism that interferes with the completion of tasks (e.g., inability to finish a project because it does not meet its own demands). Excessive dedication to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships. Excessive stubbornness, conscientiousness and inflexibility in matters of morals, ethics or values. Inability to throw away worn-out or useless objects, even when they have no sentimental value. Reluctant to delegate tasks or jobs to others, to unless they submit exactly to his way of doing things. Miserly style in expenses for himself and others. Money usually accumulates due to thoughts about future catastrophes. Signs of rigidity and obstinacy.

Obsessive disorder and perfectionism

The association is clear: Obsessive people are characterized by having had a demanding education in terms of achievements.. It is true that the culture in which we live already encourages and pressures us to always be better than we are. Furthermore, it is very harsh in the redemption sentences it imposes on failure. The fear of the unknown, of making mistakes, of making an unfortunate decision, etc. is transferred to us from childhood.

Thoughts revolve around fear, the possibility of something happening that they “cannot” tolerate.: harming others or themselves, getting sick or contaminated, ending up in the deepest poverty… These are tremendously negative cognitions and with an astonishing level of fiction.

They have no proof that what they fear will actually happen., but they still think it is very likely to happen. This fear causes them to design strategies that relax them in the short term. These strategies are called compulsions. Through compulsions, what we try to do is avoid this possible invented catastrophe and achieve calm.

Abandon perfection and cure obsession

Till the date, The psychological treatment that has received the greatest empirical support has been “Exposure with response prevention.”“. It consists of blocking or delaying compulsion, while in parallel other types of strategies are developed to tolerate and reduce the anxiety that this generates. It is done gradually, so that the adaptation process itself helps.

Physiologically, Anxiety will decrease through a process of habituation and, in addition, the obsession will lose credibility. observing that what we fear so much finally does not happen. It is simply a movie that we have created in our heads and movies, as such, are fiction and not realities.

There is another way to free ourselves from obsessions related to perfection and that is to force ourselves to try to achieve it. That is to say, In order not to become obsessed with perfection, we must not desire to find it and even reject it.. In this way, we will be ready for everything that has to happen.

I can start working in a job that is not my dream job, but that I am more or less good at and that pays well. Thus I will turn my back on perfection and tolerate that many times I have to take the best option I can afford and not the absolute best option.. Later and little by little, I can look for something better, but always from desire and not from fear. This cuts the compulsion: if I have nothing to lose and I devalue perfection, what’s the point of compulsion?

Therefore, To free myself from the feared obsessions, I am going to expose myself to what I fearcalmly and without obsess for healing me quickly. On the other hand, I am not going to want to be perfect, but rather a normal, ordinary human being who fails, who makes mistakes, who is not always in a good mood and for whom everything is not always going to turn out well. I will also tolerate that the people around me are not perfect and I will not pretend that they are.

In this way, my level of affectation and fear of the possible ups and downs of life will decrease.. Think that no matter how harsh the whims of destiny may be, the harsher and more corrosive those voices that continually force me to seek perfection can become.