Since the late 1980s, there has been a significant increase in young adults’ passion for perfectionism, according to recent research by Thomas Curran and Andrew Hill involving more than 40,000 college students.
Perfectionism was defined not only as the standards that these kids set for themselves, but also for what others expect of them as well as what they expect of others.
Compared to previous generations, millennials reported a 33 percent increase in the external burden they feel from others and a 10 percent increase in self-generated expectations.
Is this good or bad news? It can be argued that setting high standards and pressuring oneself to excel are positive traits, responsible for academic achievement and personal growth. However, perfectionism is not simply striving to be better, but rather attempting to be perfect. It’s an unattainable goal and has some significant negative effects.
The experts view perfectionism as a “core vulnerability,” and speculate that it may help explain the rise in a variety of mental health problems. Issues such as loneliness, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and suicidal feelings are connected with perfectionistic unachievable standards.