[b]Perfectionism is one of the world’s most
prevalent diseases in modern society,
particularly given the advancements of social
media and a rapidly increasing average
workload and stress level on most
individuals. However, if you’re concerned
that you might be a perfectionist, then
checking out several notable habits might
be suitably indicative, namely biting your
nails or picking at your skin.
For as long as the idea of perfectionism has
been around, certain behavioural ticks,
habits, and behaviours have been
associated with the stereotypical image of
the perfectionist – the high maintenance,
the Type-A, the highly-strung. However,
while the stereotype has long since become
part of the modern day society’s pressures,
the associative behaviours remain.
Research conducted by the University of
Montreal has found that people who have
the typically nervous habits of biting their
nails or picking at their skin, usually around
their nails, are more likely to exhibit and
report behaviours, traits, and attitudes
consistent with perfectionism. They found
that people who are generally impatient, or
who get bored or frustrated easily, are more
likely to engage in these behaviours;
said behaviours and traits are believed to be
rooted within the feelings of restlessness
and anxiety that are so often associated
with perfectionism, with the need to adjust
and repeat an action until a perceived
notion of ‘perfection’ is achieved in the mind
of the sufferer.
This comorbidity between perfectionism
and these almost self-mutilating, if extremely
minor, behaviours has been previously
documented in pre-existing research. Dr.
Kieron O’Connor, Professor of Psychiatry at
the university and the study’s lead author
commented on the research’s findings: “We
believe that individuals with these repetitive
behaviors may be perfectionist, meaning
that they are unable to relax and to perform
task at a ‘normal’ pace. They are therefore
prone to frustration, impatience, and
dissatisfaction when they do not reach their
goals. They also experience greater levels of
boredom.”
These ‘perfectionist’ behaviours, such as
biting your nails when you’re stuck waiting
or in a tediously boring position, can even
sometimes have a positive effect; “The
positive effects of the habits are stimulation
and a way of regulating emotion,” O’Connor
discussed with The Huffington Post. “What
triggers the habit is largely frustration and
impatience so the action substitutes for
more constructive action.” However, in the
long term, these behaviours can cause more
harm than good.
Treatment for these conditions is being
developed – one is a treatment of
behavioural modification that involves
replacing said habit (such as biting your
nails or picking at your skin) with an equal,
less self-injuring action. Another possible
avenue of interest seems akin to cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT); investigating the
root cause of what factors cause the tension
that lead to the behaviours, and aiming to
challenge and defeat of the behaviours.
O’Connor seems particularly interested in the
latter approach: “We look at all the thoughts
and behaviors present in situations at high
risk for the habit and change them through
cognitive therapy to more resemble the
thoughts and behaviors in low risk
situations,” O’Connor told HuffPost. “We do
not address the habit directly so the person
does not need to learn a competing
response to replace the habit.”
Perfectionists face more than the social
associations of their condition – the wider
world might seem them as the high-
maintenance divas of the world, never
satisfied and never willing to let anything go
until it’s perfect to a point. However, those
suffering with anxious and perfectionist
tendencies know that the associated
behaviours and habits, however minor, are
still irritating and infuriating; any avenues of
help that can be given to them should be
wholeheartedly and thoroughly encouraged.[/b]
