MBTI Personality and Perfectionism: How to judge whether you are a pathological perfectionist?

Psychology/emotion emotional mind 1198

Two types of perfectionism: Which one do you belong to?

In psychology, perfectionism is often understood as a mentality that strives to be flawless. In reality, 100% perfection is almost impossible, but many people still regard 'perfection' as a beacon of their ideals and guide themselves to pursue outstanding performance. For example, when a doctor performs surgery, pursuing extreme precision is a manifestation of responsibility for life, and this perfectionism is healthy.

However, the problem lies in the extremes of this mentality. Some people (of course not doctors) fall into an irrational obsession that perfection is not only possible, but necessary . They closely bind their value to whether they can achieve perfection, and once there is a slight flaw, they fall into self-denial. This 'perfect or useless' thinking pattern is the embodiment of pathological perfectionism .

In this article, we divide perfectionism into material perfectionism and existence perfectionism , and we will explore in-depth the embodiment of these two perfectionisms in different personality types based on the popular MBTI personality theories (such as 'Myers Briggs Personality Type Test', '16 Personality Test', 'Free MBTI Test', etc.). You can also click on our free MBTI personality test in the article to find out your personality type and see which perfectionism you are more likely to be troubled by.

Material Perfectionism: The Trouble of Detail Control

Material perfectionists pursue specific results and expectations, and focus on things that can be measured, observable and quantifiable , such as correct grammar, neat desktop, and orderly file classification. It was originally a commendable trait, but once these details began to affect a person's sense of self-worth , the situation became complicated.

Which personality types are prone to falling into material perfectionism?

This type of perfectionism is common in character types that focus on details and stability, such as:

Personality types such as ISTJ , ESTJ , ISFJ , ESFJ (i.e. the 'Guardian' category in MBTI), these personality types tend to be conservative, focus on planning and sense of responsibility, and have extremely high requirements for details.
They usually don't like 'taking risks' or 'trying new methods' because having no control over the results equals the possibility of being able to achieve perfection.
They may be upset all day because they didn’t write an email, or they may be seriously self-doubted because a project fails to meet expectations.

To learn more about these personality types, read:

It is worth noting that even extroverted and highly motivated exploratory personality , such as ESTP, ISTP, etc., may show a tendency to material perfectionism when the outside world evaluates high and has high psychological pressure.

If these exploratory personality traits have the qualities of large emotional fluctuations (turbulent, turbulent/anxiety), it is easier to pull between 'caring about other people's opinions' and 'pursuing self-freedom', and eventually fall into internal friction of 'not doing well enough'.

Existential Perfectionism: Want to be the 'perfect person'

Compared with material, existential perfectionism is more hidden and dangerous. This type of perfectionists does not pursue perfection in doing things, but pursue perfection in being a human being . They care whether they are a 'good person', a 'rational person' or a 'moral person'. Once they do or think of something 'not so ideal' or think, they will fall into deep guilt and self-blame.

This is a variant of idealism, but it is not like a lighthouse, but more like a rising threshold of standards that people can never reach.

Which personality types are prone to being trapped in existential perfectionism?

The most typical one is the Diplomat personality with obvious idealistic tendencies :

INFJ , INFP , ENFJ , ENFP
They are naturally very sensitive to topics such as morality, self-growth, and human well-being.
They desire to 'do the right thing', but they are very likely to doubt whether their motivations are 'pure' enough.

When they criticize themselves for being 'noble' enough because of their common emotions such as anger, jealousy, and indifference, they show typical existence perfectionism.

If you are interested, you can further read the following personality type analysis:

'Mixed' perfectionist: an analytical personality that emphasizes both rationality and details

Finally, we have to mention a kind of 'hybrid' perfectionists who emphasize both logic and rationality and precision in detail. This type is common in Analyst:

INTJ , INTP , ENTJ , ENTP
They regard logic and reasoning as the core components of personality
If the conclusions drawn are not perfect and the chain of reasoning is not impeccable enough, they will question their intelligence and even value.

This perfectionism is mixed with rational belief and a high dependence on evidence and structure. They may fall into over-analysis because of their pursuit of 'perfect reasoning', which will affect overall judgment or miss the opportunity to act.

More interpretation articles recommended:

Why is perfectionism a double-edged sword?

Although some levels of perfectionism can inspire us to strive for excellence and excellence, maladaptive perfectionism is often the source of internal friction, procrastination, anxiety, lack of self-confidence, and low self-esteem.

Related free psychological test recommendations: Perfectionist psychological test | Test whether you have a pathological perfectionist tendency

How to improve?

Identify your perfectionist tendencies by understanding your MBTI personality type.
Let go of the idea of 'must be the best' and focus on continuous progress.
Learn to accept yourself and tolerate flaws and uncertainties.
If you want to have a deeper understanding of yourself, you can try our MBTI Advanced Personality Profile , which provides professional and in-depth analysis of behavioral motivations, values, communication methods, etc. for each personality type, which will help you see yourself systematically and let go of unnecessary pressure.

Conclusion

Understanding the types of perfectionism helps us more clearly see if we are being controlled by some unreasonable standard. Different personality types have different ways to deal with perfectionism, and through tools such as MBTI, we can understand ourselves more scientifically and optimize our growth paths.

Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to share whether you are also troubled by perfectionism? What type do you belong to?

Head to PsycTest Quiz's free MBTI personality test now to find your type and embark on a deeper journey of self-exploration.

For more information, please visit the official website of PsycTest Quiz (psychtest.cn) .

Link to this article: https://m.psyctest.cn/article/6KdokOd4/

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