1. Jessieville Public
Schools
PO Box 4
Jessieville, AR 71949
Phone: 501.984.5610
Fax: 501.984.4200
Stephanie.malcom@jsdlions.net
Jessieville Lions
–
Pride in
Excellence
Stephanie Malcom
GT
Coordinator/Facilita
tor
Promoting
Healthy
Perfectionism
Jessieville
GT Program
Definition for Perfectionism
“Combination of thoughts and
behaviors generally associated
with high standards or
expectations for one’s own
performance.”
(Cite text p71)
Six Overlapping Behaviors of
Perfectionists
1) Depression
2) A nagging “I should”
feeling
3) Feelings of shame &
guilt
4) Face-saving behavior
5) Shyness &
procrastination
6) Self-deprecation
Understanding
Perfectionism
Purpose of understanding
perfectionism: Students who are not
taught to develophealthy
perfectionism risk low self-esteem,
underachievement,emotional turmoil,
and frustration. Through their
processes of procrastination and
underachievement,they also
frustrate teachers and parents.
Types of Perfectionism
Enabling – empowers through a sense
of accomplishmentandhard work
that has intrinsic value and drives
student toward excellence
Disabling–never satisfiedwith own
work; disablingespeciallyfor
development of positive self-esteem
Negative effects of Perfectionism
“Perfectionism must be seen
as a potent force capable of
brining intense frustration and
paralysis or intense
satisfaction and creative
contribution, depending on how
it is channeled.”
Neihart, M., Reis, S., Robinson, N. &
Moon, S, (2002).

2. Promoting Healthy Perfectionism
Strategies for Parents &
Teachers of Perfectionists
*Try not to put additional stress
on a perfectionist by expecting
them to be perfect at
everything
*Encourage to try new things
even if not perfect at them
*Praise each and every
accomplishment not just the A’s
* Use positive praise not
negative criticism
Walker (2002)
Resources
Neihart, M., Reis, S., Robinson, N. & Moon, S.
The Social andEmotional Development of
Gifted Children -What Do We Know? (2002).
Prufrock Press, Inc.
Galbraith, Judy. The Gifted Kids Survival
Guide (2009). Free SpiritPublishing, Inc.
Walker, Sally. The Survival Guide for Parents
of Gifted Kids (2002). Free SpiritPublishing,
Inc.
SYMPTOM CENTER
Quiz Whiz: Are you a
perfectionist?
1. Have you ever erased
something… so hard that
you put a hole through the
paper?
2. Do you beginassignments
over and over, thinking your
first try isn’t goodenough?
3. When you get papersback
from your teacher, do you
immediatelyexamineany
mistakes you made before
noticing all of the correct
answers?
4. Do you sometimes revise
your work up until the
moment you turnit in?
5. Do you practice sports,
dance,music,or other
activities so much that you
get exhaustedor even sick?
6. If you get a B on a test or
lose a sports game, does it
ruin your whole day, and
sometimes even yourwhole
week?
7. Do you prefer to work on a
project alone so that others can’t
mess it up?
8. Do you take a long time to make
up your mind?
9. Are you always comparing
yourself to others and coming up
short?
10. Do you often criticize others
when they make mistakes (even if
you might not say it out loud)?
Galbraith (2009)