Dr. Paul Hewitt and Dr. Gordon Flett determined that there are basically three types of perfectionists.

• The self-oriented perfectionist
  • This person strives to be the very best and they turn their drive into achieving and reaching goals. They use their perfectionism as a skill and are highly adaptive.
• The other-oriented perfectionist
  • This person expects others to be perfect. This can lead to problems interacting with others.
• The socially prescribed perfectionist
  • This person believes others expect them to be perfect. They feel a strong desire for the approval of others and can be very self-critical.

The key to being a perfectionist is self-compassion. No one can be perfect all the time and when mistakes are made, they shouldn’t be seen as defeats, but as opportunities for growth and learning.