The ideals that perfectionists seek are not generic; they reflect an individualized “perfect” vision of success themed around the highest priority for the perfectionist. It’s one of the most misunderstood features of perfectionism—people think, “Well, I can’t be a perfectionist because I’m never on time . . . I can’t be a perfectionist because I don’t mind a little mess.” Perfectionism expands so far beyond the little ring box we’ve been trying to squeeze it into.
