How does moral perfectionism affect your social life?

Moral Perfectionism is also affecting same as simple Perfectionism in daily life. Perfectionism is a huge personality style in which a person wants everything flawless and perfect, and it comes with self-criticism and self-evaluation. Moral Perfectionism is an attitude toward human perfection. Without any question, Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. 

Moral Perfectionism causes people to think about their moral or value system. About how they behave with others. They are always curious about their value system. They constantly question their behavior within society which affects their social life.

Some people try to be Moral perfectionists in their life, especially when people are in the limelight or socializing. There are always two types of people, one is the ambitious person and the second one is the perfectionist. Perfectionist people lack productivity because they don’t do the task unless they know they can do it perfectly. It is way perfectionism ruins productivity. They don’t consider work complete until the results are according to their standard.

Everyone wants to be successful in their lives. Perfectionism is a negative behavior, and a fear of judgment and disapproval can cause it. Sometimes it comes from your childhood experiences and high expectations, or sometimes it’s like OCD, obsessive-compulsive older people suffering from mental health issues.

Types of perfectionist 

There are mainly two types of a perfectionist, and They are categories in these two types which are:

• Material perfectionism: Most individuals undoubtedly mean Perfectionism in terms of material things. Details are essential to material perfectionists. It’s excellent to pay attention to the details. It’s OK to believe that “everything has its place and a place for everybody.”

• Existential Perfectionism: It has to do with the perfectionist evaluating their selves. We’ll refer to this idealistic pursuit of perfection as existential Perfectionism. In this way, perfectionists strive for moral, intellectual, or spiritual perfection. This can also be connected to social Perfectionism.

If you’re a social perfectionist, you stress over preserving standards you believe others demand of you, which they do not genuinely have. And it can be upsetting if you feel you’re falling short of these unrealistic expectations.

Relation between Moral Perfectionism and socially prescribed Perfectionism 

Moral Perfectionism is also related to socially prescribed Perfectionism. In socially prescribed Perfectionism, People who have high standards for meeting people tend that other people have to be perfect according to their sets and values.

Social perfectionists are scared about their public image. In the same way, moral Perfectionism is related to anyone’s value system and moral values. In social Perfectionism, people have an image of a particular set of moral and social values, and they want to achieve that image. They can be scared of their selves of public pressure. Politicians or public figures may have this sort of Perfectionism. They also tend to keep their public image high and neat.

They want to seem in high standards of social and moral values. This affects their mental health because they try to make themselves a person they are not. This may seem like a journey, but the main thing about self-improvement is first to accept your flaws and then try to fill those gaps in your personality with an open heart for criticism. 

Moral perfectionists don’t have a natural tendency to accept someone else moral and social values. Social or Moral Perfectionism is the urge for someone to assume that others want them to be perfect, and they also want people to be perfect by their Moral standards.

Moral Perfectionism affects social life

Moral Perfectionism can lead to a negative attitude about life. It may result in eating disorders, self-harm, sadness, and anxiety. It can eventually cause you to give up on striving to be successful. Even mild cases can negatively impact your relationships with others, your ability to learn, or your ability to work. Here is one of the most dangerous effects of Moral Perfectionism on life. 

Low self-esteem: When you try to be a perfectionist, the very first thing you do is neglect your inner self. You constantly try to be someone else and compare your current state to your ideal state or picture, which only exists in your mind. This constantly leads to low self-esteem and slowly starting to abandon yourself. 

In the state of denial: In Moral Perfectionism, you constantly compare your value or social system with others and deny realities. A person with moral Perfectionism keeps himself in denial about ground relations and situations. 

Social Behaviour: Moral Perfectionism leads to impaired social behavior. Perfectionism is a trait that affects not only you but also the people around you, as moral Perfectionism is related to an individual’s moral values. Those individuals want themselves to be morally perfect and people around them to be morally perfect, leading to more debates. So people ignore moral perfectionists more than other sorts of Perfectionism.  

Perfectionism and anxiety: It is noted in many types of research that Perfectionism and anxiety and correlated. Moral Perfectionism is typically driven by a desire to live up to an internal moral ideal. Still, it can also be motivated by fear, such as concern about how others see you. For a person with panic disorder, this may translate into concern over your symptoms, which you may perceive as flaws that others judge you adversely.

Loneliness and isolation: These self-doubts and beliefs can lead to avoidance behaviors, loneliness and isolation, and even melancholy. Moral Perfectionism is frequently related to negative thoughts about moral principles associated with yourself or others. Most of the time, you jump to conclusions and think that if people knew about your values and social structure, they would reject you.

Related Questions

How to overcome Moral Perfectionism?

The first step is to accept yourself and your imperfections, which include moral and social norms. You might also try cognitive-behavioral therapy. This treatment teaches the perfectionist that moral perfection is not required in all aspects of life. It teaches students that mistakes are OK and should not deter them from pursuing their goals.

You can also seek advice from friends and family members. Try to learn about other people. What people believe and perceive to be societal morality. Try to learn from them and embrace their weaknesses and your own. Don’t mix up self-improvement and Perfectionism. Try to work on yourself as a self-improvement journey. Accept your imperfections and strive to have a pleasant attitude.

Is moral perfection good?

No one is perfect, it is the quote we have heard many times, and it is proper to this day. Moral perfection may seem reasonable from a philosophical and political point of view to see everyone perfect with perfect Moral values. Everyone has a different set of Moral and social values. So no one is perfect if we compare their set of values. Different societies have a different sets of values. So Moral Perfectionism leads to denial, in which people neglect others’ values. 

Moral Perfectionism could be dangerous for everyone. Everyone should accept each other flaws. It would lead to tolerance in people because Perfectionism does not lead to tolerance, especially moral Perfectionism. So try to work on yourself like a self-improvement journey to improve yourself, not to make yourself perfect because no one is perfect.