Perfectionists can be perfectly happy, too

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2007 | by Marilyn Elias

SAN FRANCISCO -- Although they may drive others crazy, many niggling perfectionists aren't as troubled as they've often been portrayed, psychologists agreed at a weekend panel here.

Sky-high standards per se don't make people anxious, ashamed or depressed, researchers reported at the American Psychological Association meeting. Newer studies are teasing out the toxic parts of a perfectionist streak, separating them from more benign or positive aspects, says Gordon Flett of York University in Toronto.

High achievers often expect the best of themselves, "and that's not necessarily a bad thing," he says. The troubled people are those whose whole self-worth hinges on perfect performance and who feel they must conceal shortcomings.

Those most invested in...