Perfectionism has only one perspective—self-importance. Everything related to one, the good, bad, and apparently neutral, feels as though it matters immensely, part of some bigger plan for them, regardless of who lays it out. This creates pressure to get everything right, to avoid any sort of mistake, big or small. The perfectionist feels special; therefore, by extension, their chosen profession or endeavors feel special, and so do their relationships. Fundamentally, they struggle with shades of grey, dividing the world up between what matters and what doesn’t, into extremes.

When everything you do matters, by extension, a mistake, or at least your perception of it, is amplified. In a recent post on mistakes, I mentioned an example from the reality series "WWE Unreal," where professional wrestler Becky Lynch comforted her staged competitor, Lyra Valkyria, after their match at a major event, which was full of Lyra’s mistakes. While the match itself wasn’t good, their exchange was one of the best moments in the business’s history. Lyra asked Becky to yell at her, and Becky refused, responding, “I’m not gonna yell at you over a wrestling match.” She noticed her........

© Psychology Today