Examples of perfectionistic thinking:

Black-and-white thinking (e.g. “Anything less than perfection is a failure”, “If I need help from others, then I am weak”)

Catastrophic thinking (e.g. “If I make a mistake in front of my coworkers, I won’t be able to survive the humiliation”; “I can’t handle having someone being upset with me.”)

Probability overestimation (e.g. “Although I spent all night preparing for a presentation, I know I won’t do well” ; “My boss will think I am lazy if I take a couple of sick days.”)

Should statements (e.g. “I should never make mistakes” ; “I should never come across as nervous or anxious” ; “I should always be able to predict problems before they occur.”)

Exagerate mistakes. discount successes

Examples of perfectionistic behaviour:

Chronic procrastination, difficulty completing tasks, or giving up easily

Overly cautious and thorough in tasks (e.g. spending 3 hours on 1 task that takes others 20 minutes to complete)

Excessive checking (e.g. spending 30 minutes looking over a brief email to your boss for possible spelling mistakes)

Constantly trying to improve things by re-doing them (e.g. rewriting a work document several times to make it “perfect”)

Agonizing over small details (e.g. what movie to rent)

Making elaborate “to do” lists (e.g. when to get up, brush teeth, shower, etc.)

Avoiding trying new things and risking making mistakes