Perfectionism can be easy to dismiss as harmless—from the outside it can look like talent, ambition, and high standards. But psychologists have long suggested another perspective: that excessive drive and self-criticism can lead to self-destruction, suggesting a link between perfectionism and suicide. Still, there’s been little research aimed at sussing out the connection. Now, a new study, the most comprehensive to date, suggests that perfectionism can be a relevant risk factor for suicide.
The work, led by Martin Smith at the University of Ontario, doesn’t use new data; instead, it’s a meta-analysis encompassing 45 previous studies, using information from 11,747 participants. One of the first questions facing researchers was how to define perfectionism. They found that the studies covered 15 different definitions and ways of measuring perfectionism. They mostly fell into three broad categories: demanding perfection from oneself, demanding perfection of others, and perceiving others as demanding perfection from oneself.
Researchers believed a meta-analysis could suggest which aspects of perfectionism, if any, showed the strongest relations with suicide ideation and actual suicide attempts. Recognizing which personality traits are closely tied to thoughts of suicide could make intervention easier; it could also undercut the notion that perfectionist striving is healthy.
The study notes that a sizable portion of the research suggests “relentlessly pursuing perfection engenders intense psychological pain.” Perfectionists often lead stressful lives, while their prickly personality traits can leave them feeling disconnected from others. Intense psychological pain coupled with emotional isolation might lead to thoughts of suicide as a means of escape.
