In marching band there is this high level of performance expected from each member. In fact, the directors expect perfection from everyone. We all share the mindset that “I have to be perfect, if I make a mistake, then the directors will call me out, and then everyone will know that I am sucking at this”. We get in our own way of succeeding, we don’t want to fail, so we don’t try; then we can never be good. The socialization of perfection in children creates unrealistic standards that are impossible for a child to achieve and causes the child to feel unworthy and give up. I was socialized to expect perfection from myself and others throughout my experiences in school and with interactions with my peers. In school, I have always been expected …show more content…
The expectation that I needed to always get straight A’s made me feel like I was ‘stupid’ and could not live up to my parents’ standards. This would cause me to spend way too much time, when completing any task, to make sure that it was perfect and there were absolutely no mistakes. During my junior year of high school, I had a teacher that would randomly call on students and have them answer his questions, but then ridicule them for getting the answer wrong, instead of helping them understand the correct answer and learn from their mistakes. The teacher criticizing mistakes instead of correcting them was extremely harmful to the young minds in that classroom, it made students scared to make a mistake and made them less willing to participate in class. Among peers, the expectation of perfection causes people to make fun of their peers for making any kind of mistake. For example, in band class, if someone plays during the rest, everyone turns around and laughs at them for the obvious mistake and humiliates the person. This resulted in people being timid while playing and being scared to make mistakes and taught the lesson; it is not acceptable to make …show more content…
Perfectionism can be extremely unhealthy for some people when it turns into an obsession, however, perfectionism does have some benefits for society. In the workplace, it helps make sure that services live up to a high standard. It also helps people create innovative technologies and inventions that help improve people’s lives. I regret being socialized in this way because it has given me a harmful mindset and taught me unhealthy habits. When my parents expect me to be perfect in school and always get good grades on every assignment, it puts too much pressure on me and forces me to prioritize school over everything else. This makes me scared to admit when I fail and makes me feel very ashamed of any mistakes that I make. I was terrified, at first, to try skating. When I went with my friends, I sat on the bench for a long time, scared because I knew that I might fall and that I wouldn’t be good at it. I was so terrified of messing up and failing in front of my friends that I refused to even try it. I knew I couldn’t be perfect, so I didn’t even want to try. I can resocialize myself to create a better mindset and healthier habits by accepting things that are not
A healthy perfectionist will be in the pursuit of excellence and the unhealthy will strive for perfection. The Center for Clinical Interventions, (2009), said that perfectionism displays itself in someone in three key ways. Perfectionists begin by striving for extremely high goals or standards for their selves and for others. They are either able to reach their high goal and move on or they are unable to self-motivate and fall short. Perfectionists then judge themselves or others based on their results. This judging can affect the individual’s self-worth or how they value the person they set the expectations for. Finally the perfectionist experiences the effects of setting such high standards or goals. This individual is either going to bask in the glory, or be very unhappy with their selves and/or others (Center for Clinical Interventions,
Perfectionism, the force that motivates you to have everything exactly right, isn’t about excellence but about fear. There’s nothing wrong with a goal, but when the fear of not meeting that goal overwhelms you, it leads to procrastination. You wake up in the morning tired and angry and feel as though you can’t escape that dark cloud that follows you everywhere. Of course you are overwhelmed. Most days, more is required of you than you could possibly accomplish. Your perfectionism won’t allow you to ask for help.
One issue involving depression and perfectionism that was not addressed nor answered in this article was what can be done to prevent the problems people have with perfectionism to begin with. It discussed how parental influence can play a part in developing it, but the article never discussed what could be done to prevent this problem from becoming so widespread, rather than simply waiting for it to develop to the point in adulthood where it could lead to depression.
Casey Stengel, an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager says, “It’s easy to get good players . Getting them to play together, that’s the hard part.” This is not only with baseball, or any other sport, but also with band. During marching season that’s especially true, since band then takes the most dedication and time commitment. To be willing to give up most of your time to be part of that, there has to be some kind of dedication, and talent. Despite having the best players, band is based upon a whole ensemble, not just individuals. Everyone has to be able to work together to have success. Even though many bands play some of the most technical pieces of music, and preform some of the most physically demanding drills, the most difficult is trying to get everyone to work together and make music. Not just as many individuals, but as one whole ensemble.
In ninth grade, I realized my passions were going through a rapid change. I started hating football because it wasn’t the same sport I played for six years before. It became more complex with schemes and coverages, and ultimately robbed the game of pleasure because it was no longer tackle the kid with the ball. More importantly, I no longer had the sense of acceptance and accomplishment due to me growing so vastly different from my peers. I also participated in band at this time which gained my interest and affection more so than football. One day Lucas, the saxophone section leader at the time, asked me if I was going to join marching band, and I told him yes because I was ready for a change. This monumental decision forever changed my life, and consequently I would’ve never been the same person I am now.
This thought is supported by the multidimensional perfectionism scale. The MPS is a scale that assess the domains of perfectionism and splits it into three groups. The first is self-oriented perfectionism. This... ... middle of paper ... ...
What do you think of when you hear the word “sports”? You probably think of basketball, soccer, baseball, and most of all, football; but why not marching band? According to Oxford Dictionary, the definition of sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. In my speech, I will be explaining why marching band should be considered a sport. I will cover the three criteria in the definition of sport - involving physical exertion, involving skill, and competes for entertainment - and how marching band fits into them.
Perfection by definition is being free of error or fault, but all humans know that there is always something to improve on. Perfection is unattainable, but society pushes this ideal. This is visible in the media, where people are photoshopped to perfection, but in reality no human exists that way. In school, there is pressure from teachers, parents, and even sometimes students themselves to get good grades across all areas of study. But no human can be perfect, because there are always way to be better. When this ideal of perfection becomes one's idea of success, it makes it difficult to be celebrate achievements and continue to improve. The idea of perfection is harmful to the pursuit of success because it sets up unrealistic expectations
I’ve been a part of marching band for 4 years now, and throughout my time there the staff and the players taught me about values and which ones pertain to me. Through the program I asked to join the leadership team, where I discovered what values I follow by: integrity, communication, and respect. These qualities in a person aren’t used strictly in the realm of band. I seek these traits in friends and family, as well as those who I’ve had a few brief encounters with. To others, I want these qualities to display, too.
When school hours were over on Tuesday, my mom drove me over to band practice with the rest of the marching band. Despite the heat, I wore a beanie so no one would see my scalp. Everyone said “Welcome back,” and “We missed you,” and things of that nature, even the seniors. Russell helped snap on the snare that attached to the wheelchair.
Practice makes perfect, right? This is a common phrase I heard growing up, and most of us have either heard or said this phrase at one point or another in our lives; maybe in regards to learning how to play a new instrument, or learning a new sport, even as simple of a thing as learning how to tie your shoes. But what is perfection? Perfection is to be without flaw, and as humans we all can agree that we all are flawed in one way or another. The affects of striving for perfection, while some say there are positive affects there is also a flip side to that which can lead to people struggling with depression and anxiety. In the twenty second century culture we are raised to strive for this unattainable perfection. The spectrum of pursing
The thought of not being exceptional enough, smart enough, having all these expectations and standards, the feeling of failing, being stressed, not being able to fix a problem, ruining self-esteem, staying up all night studying just to fail, and no longer being motivated is taking a toll on students. According to debate.org, “When students see their grade in a class and it is not good, all they can think about is that it is over and they cannot fix it. They think that seeing a grade that they are unhappy [with] determines their future.” For those students who are thinking about the future, certain grades may make or break them. They try their best and then they find out they didn’t do as well as they thought, they think the worst and how it’ll affect them in the future. There comes a time when students stop caring when they know they can’t do something or they can’t get better. That tragic realization when a student gives up hope on their grades and school in general when they feel there is no hope left. Students are kept to these certain expectations and are having progressively more trouble keeping up and they just stop completely; they simply give up. Once there’s a ‘slip-up’, they become categorized into something less than they actually are and it becomes harder to get out of the lesser category. Students slowly think less of themselves and believe they aren’t exceptional
My necessity for perfection came at a very young age. This obsession was born from my despise toward anything not done to its full potential. When I was four, I was often seen throwing a fit because the way I wrote my numbers and letters weren’t “perfect.” Even now, I am not able to to tolerate imperfection, blemishes, or anything other than my absolute best. When I write stories, it doesn’t matter how other people praise or criticize them, I’ll always scratch the entire story and write a new one that I’ll never complete.
Perfection is a deadly sickness (1). It is a wicked plague which clouds the mind, destroys focus, and eliminates any value you may hold for yourself. But, this is wrong. Isn’t it (24)? Perfection is flawless way to live where you make no mistakes; where you avoid any challenges; where you get everything you want in your life (26). But this appearance, while apparently good, is merely a facade.Like a collar that chokes fun and kills passion, perfection is a constrictor of joy and creativity in favor of the one and only best decision(21). The decision which will get you perfect grades, a perfect reputation, and nary an ounce of criticism. Now, while this might seem good, I can tell you for sure it’s not. How? Because I’ve tried it.
Perfection is striving to be the best that you can be, falling and getting back up, and using your failures as a way to succeed. I didn’t have to be number one in my class, make straight A’s, and join a lot of clubs that I wasn’t interested in I had to just be me. I am not saying that I did all that work for no reason? No, I think focusing on school has made me who I am today: determined, focused, goal-oriented. Do I regret not participating in school events?