Being Perfect Has Its Flaws - Queendom Releases Results of Perfectionism Study
Queendom.com reveals the pitfalls of setting the bar too high for ourselves and others.
Montreal, Canada, April 23, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Queendom.com one of the web's foremost source of personality assessments, is releasing interesting data from their Perfectionism Test. Study results, obtained from a sample of more than 1,400 people, reveal that perfectionistic tendencies can have a significant impact on self-esteem, mental health, and work performance.
To be perfect, or to find perfection in others, should be right up there with catching a fairy or nabbing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's impossible to do. And it's this intense desire to be flawless that is at the root of self-image issues, family problems, and stress at work. While data from a study by Queendom reveals that most people fall somewhere in the middle on the perfectionism scale (in that they set the bar high for themselves and others, but not unreasonably so), there are some pedestal-seeking individuals who push this desire to an extreme - and inevitably come tumbling down in the process.
According to Queendom's statistics, perfectionistic tendencies tend to vary according to gender, age, education level and school grades. Their data reveal that women tend to be slightly more obsessed with perfection than men, particularly in terms of Personal Perfectionism (setting high standards for self) and living up to social pressures to be perfect - not surprising, given that the majority of media attention emphasizes the need for women to stop or at least inhibit the aging process, to use only the best cleaning products for their family, and to drop two dress sizes in thirty days or less. In terms of age differences, the desire for perfection in self and others tends to peak between the ages of 25-29, and then steadily drops as we age. Education level and grades are also a common area where people are constantly seeking perfection, with people who were in the top 5% as students scoring highest on Queendom's test in terms of Personal Perfectionism, Pressure at Work to be Perfect, and Expecting Perfection from Coworkers. Moreover, as education level increases, so too does the desire to be perfect.
"It's important to realize that there's nothing wrong with setting the bar high," points out Dr. Jerabek, President of the company. "In order to bring out the best in others and reach our own full potential, we must set goals that are challenging, perhaps even slightly out of our reach - otherwise, we'll never know what we're capable of. But you need to leave wiggle room for error, and set goals that are not totally beyond your capabilities. When you view success as an all-or-nothing, that's when you set yourself and others up for disappointment. And our study results show how detrimental unrealistic expectations can be."
Queendom's perfectionism study also reveals that:
- 27% believe that they will be labeled as bad parents if their kids aren't successful in school. That's a lot of pressure on both the parents and the kids who may not necessarily have what it takes to excel at school.
- 34% feel that failing an assignment at work/school makes them a failure as a person. It's this kind of generalization that is most damaging for one's self-esteem.
- 37% have missed a deadline because they didn't consider their work perfect enough to hand it in. In other words, they decided to fail (not to hand it in) because they were afraid of failure.
- 37% believe that they have to be in perfect physical shape in order to be considered attractive. And you wondered why so many beautiful people have such unnecessary hang-ups about their appearance…
- 50% stated that being considered average is "terrible."
Those who wish to take the Perfectionism Test can go to: http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=3051
About Queendom.com
Queendom.com is a subsidiary of PsychTests AIM Inc. Queendom.com is a site that creates an interactive venue for self-exploration with a healthy dose of fun. The site offers a full range of professional-quality, scientifically-validated psychological assessments that empower people to grow and reach their real potential through insightful feedback and detailed, custom-tailored analysis.
About PsychTests AIM Inc:
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts. The company's research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada.
Contact:
Ilona Jerabek, Ph.D., President
PsychTests AIM Inc.
http://testyourself.psychtests.com/
1-888-855-6975
ilona@psychtests.com
###
To be perfect, or to find perfection in others, should be right up there with catching a fairy or nabbing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's impossible to do. And it's this intense desire to be flawless that is at the root of self-image issues, family problems, and stress at work. While data from a study by Queendom reveals that most people fall somewhere in the middle on the perfectionism scale (in that they set the bar high for themselves and others, but not unreasonably so), there are some pedestal-seeking individuals who push this desire to an extreme - and inevitably come tumbling down in the process.
According to Queendom's statistics, perfectionistic tendencies tend to vary according to gender, age, education level and school grades. Their data reveal that women tend to be slightly more obsessed with perfection than men, particularly in terms of Personal Perfectionism (setting high standards for self) and living up to social pressures to be perfect - not surprising, given that the majority of media attention emphasizes the need for women to stop or at least inhibit the aging process, to use only the best cleaning products for their family, and to drop two dress sizes in thirty days or less. In terms of age differences, the desire for perfection in self and others tends to peak between the ages of 25-29, and then steadily drops as we age. Education level and grades are also a common area where people are constantly seeking perfection, with people who were in the top 5% as students scoring highest on Queendom's test in terms of Personal Perfectionism, Pressure at Work to be Perfect, and Expecting Perfection from Coworkers. Moreover, as education level increases, so too does the desire to be perfect.
"It's important to realize that there's nothing wrong with setting the bar high," points out Dr. Jerabek, President of the company. "In order to bring out the best in others and reach our own full potential, we must set goals that are challenging, perhaps even slightly out of our reach - otherwise, we'll never know what we're capable of. But you need to leave wiggle room for error, and set goals that are not totally beyond your capabilities. When you view success as an all-or-nothing, that's when you set yourself and others up for disappointment. And our study results show how detrimental unrealistic expectations can be."
Queendom's perfectionism study also reveals that:
- 27% believe that they will be labeled as bad parents if their kids aren't successful in school. That's a lot of pressure on both the parents and the kids who may not necessarily have what it takes to excel at school.
- 34% feel that failing an assignment at work/school makes them a failure as a person. It's this kind of generalization that is most damaging for one's self-esteem.
- 37% have missed a deadline because they didn't consider their work perfect enough to hand it in. In other words, they decided to fail (not to hand it in) because they were afraid of failure.
- 37% believe that they have to be in perfect physical shape in order to be considered attractive. And you wondered why so many beautiful people have such unnecessary hang-ups about their appearance…
- 50% stated that being considered average is "terrible."
Those who wish to take the Perfectionism Test can go to: http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=3051
About Queendom.com
Queendom.com is a subsidiary of PsychTests AIM Inc. Queendom.com is a site that creates an interactive venue for self-exploration with a healthy dose of fun. The site offers a full range of professional-quality, scientifically-validated psychological assessments that empower people to grow and reach their real potential through insightful feedback and detailed, custom-tailored analysis.
About PsychTests AIM Inc:
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts. The company's research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada.
Contact:
Ilona Jerabek, Ph.D., President
PsychTests AIM Inc.
http://testyourself.psychtests.com/
1-888-855-6975
ilona@psychtests.com
###
Contact
PsychTests AIM Inc.
Ilona Jerabek, PhD
514-745-3189
psychtests.com
toll-free at 1-888-855-6975
Ilona Jerabek, PhD
514-745-3189
psychtests.com
toll-free at 1-888-855-6975
Contact
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