In today’s blog we will be looking at perfectionism among millennials.
So you may be asking yourself what age bracket or generation falls under the category of Millennial (also known as Generation Y or Gen Y). The age bracket is anyone that is born between the years of 1981 and 1996.
Within the Millennial age bracket, there has been increasing amount of research and studies to show that the millennial generation are showing a higher rate of mental health problems and who are under immense pressures from being sifted or sorted and ranked within exams in universities/college, performance within the workplace or on social media where by they feel compelled to curate a perfect lifestyle within society and is leading to an epidemic within this age bracket.
So what is Perfectionism?
Perfectionism is an irrational desire for flawlessness, combined with harsh self-criticism. Usually the difference between what sets out an individual who is hard working or diligent is their mindset that needs to correct their own imperfections.
Generally perfectionists need to be told they have achieved the best possible outcomes, whether it’s through scores or metrics or through positive praise from those people around them. For some people when this need is not met, they can experience psychological turmoil, because they relate their failures and mistakes as a weakness or unworthiness to be able to achieve that goal.
Below are some examples of Perfectionistic Behaviour:
- Difficulty being happy for others who are successful
- Focussing on the end product rather than the process of learning
- Holding oneself to the standards of what others have accomplished or comparing oneself unfavourably and unrealistically to others
- Taking an excessive amount of time to complete a task, which does not typically take others a long time to complete.
Amanda Ogden is from Sydney Australia, and has spent the past 13 years working within the welfare industry in both administration and case management assisting people with mental health issues, mild intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries, drug & alcohol, homelessness gain employment. She also loves travelling, creating jewellery, music, friends and family.
Defying Shadows 