Perfectionism and Gifted Adolescents

Abstract

In this study, the connection between perfectionism and gifted adolescents was examined. Quantitative data about attitudes and behaviors concerning perfectionism were gathered from the Goals and Work Habits Survey (Schuler, 1994), and qualitative data were gathered from semistructured interviews and documentary evidence. Results indicate that perfectionism exists on a continuum of behaviors and thoughts from normal to neurotic. Of the gifted adolescents in a rural middle school who took the Goals and Work Habits Survey, 87.5% were perfectionistic. Most (58%) were in the healthy range of perfectionism, while (29.5%) were in the neurotic range. Normal perfectionists viewed order and organization as important in achieving their “personal best.” Neurotic perfectionists, however, were limited by their fixation on making mistakes, which resulted in a constant state of anxiety. Limitations of the study include the selection and number of participants (20) involved in the case studies from a high-achieving, academically gifted population. The adaptation of one of the instruments that was used to gather data may also be viewed as a limitation of this study.