Effects Of Perfectionism

Millennials have an intense desire to succeed, but it could affect their mental health, a new study warned. The research assessed changes in perfectionism over a 30-year period from the 1980s until 2016, Health Day News reported.

The study, which analyzed data on over 40,000 American, Canadian, and British college students, found that they scored higher in all forms of perfectionism in recent years compared to the past. The test measured three types of perfectionism. These are the irrational desire to be perfect, the perceived pressure from others to be perfect, and having an unrealistic expectation of others.

Self-inflicted perfectionism

There was a 10 percent increase in scores on irrational desire to be perfect, or self-inflicted perfectionism,

In turn, it could lead to body image issues and social isolation.

The millennials also want to move up the economic and social ladders, to earn higher grades than their classmates, to become more educated, and to achieve career goals. Thomas Curran, the study author from the University of Bath, noted that meritocracy placed a strong need for the youth to strive, perform, and achieve in modern life.

Perfection is rising among millennials, resulting from the young placing increasingly unrealistic educational and professional expectations for themselves. A sample of it is the expectation to graduate from college which was the goal of 50 percent of high school seniors in 1976. By 2008, over 80 percent had the same expectations.

But the reality is the gap between the students who expect to go to college and millennials who actually acquired a college degree is widening, Curran pointed out. It may lead to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

Permanent state of comparison to

The other areas where the young people strive for perfection are the drive among college students to perfect their grade point averages and compare them with other students, and the drive to earn money.

Andrew Hill, who holds a PhD at the York St. John University and the co-author of the research, said that the increase in perfection could be impacting negatively the psychological health of the students. He cited the higher levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies in students now compared to 10 years ago.

For the millennials to preserve their good mental health, Curran and Hill recommended that schools and policymakers must stop fostering competition among the younger generation. Curran added that the finding suggests the recent generation of college students have higher expectations of themselves and others compared to previous generations.

The competition with each other is to meet societal pressures to succeed. They feel that to feel safe, socially connected, and of worth, perfectionism is necessary.

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