Gifted people, whether they are children or adults, display a greater inclination towards perfectionism than the general population. The theory is this: because gifted people have a higher level of abstract reasoning, they have a greater tendency to envision an ideal. I would add that perfectionism in gifted adults is affected by what Ellen Winner terms ‘the rage to master’ - Dr. Winner applies the term to children but I would argue it also applies to gifted adults.
A lot has been written about perfectionism in the general population, as well as how perfectionism affects gifted children. There is less written about perfectionism in gifted adults, however, it is likely that the theories about gifted children can be extrapolated. Lynda Silverman provides a good introductory overview of perfectionism and giftedness (though it is about children) in her article: The Many Faces of Perfectionism. One of the themes about perfectionism is that there is a distinction between ‘good’ perfectionism and ‘bad’ perfectionism or perfectionism and excellence. ‘Good’ perfectionism drives people to improve and is based in feeling positive about one’s self. ‘Bad’ perfectionism is rooted in the belief that unless one is perfect, you are not acceptable. Sometimes ‘bad’ perfectionism is reinforced by messages sent by school or work or family about a person’s exceptional performance e.g. John’s the athlete, Mary’s the smart one etc to the exclusion of anything else about the person. Or, as may be the case for gifted people, the message might be about a person’s exceptional potential performance.
Another theoretical construct around ‘bad’ perfectionism is that it’s rooted in binary thinking – a task can only be executed to the pinnacle of my ability to envision it or it’s not worth doing/I am not a worthwhile person. That there can be only two answers – one right and one wrong is the basis of the inflexibility inherent in ‘bad’ perfectionism. In contract, ‘good’ perfectionism includes multiple ways to achieve an outcome.
‘Bad’ perfectionism is linked to procrastination. An example of perfectionism and procrastination goes something like this: I need to create a report. To actualize the report I have in my mind’s eye will take seven hours and I only have five. And really, even when I’ve reached the end of 7 hours, it still won’t be as good as I had imagined plus I in the meantime have also realized that to do the report properly is also needs additional tables and charts and a competitive analysis and now requires 15 hours. Even then it won’t be good enough. Plus while I was working on the report, I neglected all the other work that was piling up. Or maybe I just didn’t start the report at all because I already anticipated how it would play out. This kind of approach, particularly when it is applied to everything, has the potential either breed further procrastination or result in burnout.
Much of what is written about perfectionism is related to tasks. I think there is something to be said about how perfectionism applies to how a gifted person may function emotionally. Does having high or unrealistic expectations about what one does transfer to having high or unrealistic expectations about how one feels? Or how one expects others to feel? Does being a perfectionist result in being less likely to take emotional risks? Is there a possibility of a binary, ‘bad’ perfectionist emotional interior life where everything is black and white/ right and wrong? I am inclined to think so.
Related to perfectionism is the gifted experience of having so many interests, possibly multiple abilities to match those interests, a rage to master and only 24 hours in a day. The inability to pursue all of them to the level a gifted adult is likely to desire, can result in feeling overwhelmed or over extended.
It’s easy to focus on the negative aspects of perfectionism, but perfectionism, when rooted in entelechy, grounded in a sense of positivity is a terrific personal and societal force. I was once told, when skiing, if you ain’t falling, you ain’t trying. It’s helpful to remember that the pursuit of excellence necessarily includes imperfection.
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