Perfectionism, or the refusal to accept any standard short of perfection, isn’t a mental illness. But according to Dr. Jessica Pryor, it can negatively affect mental health.
Perfectionism can bring on depression, anxiety, eating disorders and even suicidal thoughts. Perfectionist tendencies can be identified in the classroom as students striving to be perfect in their assignments and relationships.
Not all of your perfectionist students are struggling with maladaptive perfectionism. According to Dr. Pryor, healthy perfectionism allows someone to “work really hard towards ambitious goals, and have the resilience to continue to strive towards those goals even when things get in the way.” This is not the perfectionism that I, and thousands of
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