I recently read an article about how perfectionism is increasing in the millennial age group. The writers, Simon Sherry and Martin Smith, conducted a large study of 25,000 participants and identified that perfectionism is increasing equally in men and women, and young people are being impacted.
Perfectionism involves a sense of needing to do absolutely everything perfectly and then expecting that of others as well. Not as well as you someone else can do within the time and space you have - NO. PERFECTLY. Humans were never meant to be perfect - we are flawed by nature and that's what makes us so wonderfully human.
If you transverse life believing that you and others should be perfect, then you are left with some choices to make. Either you spend most of your life disappointed or angry or critical or nagging, OR you need to acknowledge your need for perfection and tackle if this is an appropriate paradigm to be tackling life with.
The world impacts us by showing us a perfect world in advertising, through extreme competition (dog eat dog) and controlling parenting that demands perfection.
Not dealing with your perfectionistic traits can have negative consequences as you get older. It appears that perfectionists become more obsessed and neurotic as they get older. They develop more negative emotions (guilt, anger, and envy) in their attempt to deal with the anxiety the perfectionism breeds. It seems odd, but older perfectionists actually become less disciplined and organized. They stew on things more often and they burn out more regularly, which results in letting things go and 'dropping the ball'.
Dealing with your perfectionistic tendencies is an important part of your self-compassionate regime. Talk to someone about it, write about it in your journal, practice a bit of self-love. Be a self-compassionate master. Talk to yourself about it and forgive yourself, and chose to try some new things. Read up about how to tackle perfectionism and learn to breathe through life.
