Perfectionism: the Crucible of Giftedness

Pathological Perfectionism has been very damaging, and as a result there has been a movement towards increasing acceptance of self and circumstance. Dr. Gena Gorlin argues that this is good, but it is only the first step. She presents a mindset and proposal for how we can pursue excellence in healthier ways—as builders.

Perfectionism is a mindset that demands we perform as superbly as possible to be sufficient as a person. We conflate our goodness as a person with our performance in areas we care about—academics, our job, our social behavior, fitness, appearance, parenting, home organization, the list goes on.