Perfectionism and the Gifted Child

"The root of excellence is perfectionism. It is the driving force in the personality that propels the individual toward higher and higher goals. There is a strong correlation between perfectionism and giftedness. I have yet to meet a gifted person who wasn’t perfectionistic in some way." Linda Kreger Silverman, Perfectionism

Anna Quindlin's Commencement Speech Mount Holyoke College

"I got up every day and tried to be perfect in every possible way."
 

Being Perfect by Anna Quindlin

Origins of perfectionism and findings that can help families better help their gifted students with this issue...
 

The Courage to Be Imperfect: Tom Greenspon on Perfectionism Summary by Celino Ullegue

Origins of perfectionism and findings that can help families better help their gifted students with this issue...
 

The Emotional Drama of Giftedness: Self Concept, Perfectionism, and Sensitivity by Sal Mendaglio and Michael C. Pyryt

Discusses issues that confront gifted individuals and those who interact with them: developing healthy self-concepts, transforming perfectionistic tendencies into productivity, and effectively coping with emotional sensitivity. The "lived experience" of these issues in daily life provides both frustrations and joys... (requires ^{Adobe Reader})
 

Freeing Our Families From Perfectionism by Tom Greenspon

Perfectionism is not about doing our best. It's not about the struggle for excellence, or the healthy striving for high goals. Perfectionism is about believing that if we can just do something perfectly, other people will love and accept us-and if we can't, we'll never be good enough. Perfectionism is a burden that takes a heavy toll...
 

Intellectually gifted students' perceptions of personal goals and work habits by Glenda P. Pruett, in Gifted Child Today ($)

Unfortunately, many programs for gifted children are inadequate and poorly designed, leaving classroom teachers to struggle to meet the needs of gifted children effectively. What resources are available for these students? What assessment tools are appropriate? Do these children need acceleration or enrichment? How can we meet their needs when there are so many other demands on teachers' time?
 

Perfectionism and the Gifted Adolescent: Recognizing and Helping Gifted Adolescents Deal with their Perfectionistic Tendencies by Mary Codd

Parents and teachers often feel that they need to cure children of their perfectionist tendencies. However, perfectionism can be viewed as having both positive and negative aspects.  We need to help our gifted perfectionistic students move away from negative tendencies and toward the more positive aspects of perfectionism.  Includes great suggestion list for both parents and teachers...
 

Perfectionism and Giftedness: Examining the Connection by Michael C. Pyryt

The construct of perfectionism, its measurement, its linkage with intellectual giftedness, and strategies for overcoming its negative effects... (requires ^{Adobe Reader})
 

Perfectionism and the Highly Gifted Child by Shaun Hately

In terms of perfectionism, parents, teachers and schools have to try to avoid putting pressure on children to be perfect, although it may be very difficult to avoid perfectionism...
 

Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good? by Miriam Adderholdt and Jan Goldberg

Explore the difference between healthy ambition and unhealthy perfectionism, strategies for getting out of the perfectionist trap, why people become perfectionists, why girls are especially prone...
 

Suicide Among Gifted Adolescents: How to Prevent It by Denise de Souza Fleith

The most salient characteristics of gifted adolescents that may be associated with vulnerability to social and emotional disturbances are: (a) perfectionism, (b) supersensitivy, (c) social isolation, and (d) sensory overexcitability...
 

Vulnerabilities of Highly Gifted Children by Wendy Roedell

This article examines the unique vulnerabilities of children with extraordinarily advanced intellectual skills, and highlights the differences between highly gifted and moderately gifted children...
 

What to Do When Good Enough Isn't Good Enough: The Real Deal on Perfectionism: A Guide For Kids by Tom Greenspon

Written for young people, preteens and teenagers about what perfectionism is and learning how to deal with it. Emphasizes that perfectionism isn't just wanting to do well - it's an obsessive fear of performing less-than-perfect in any way, and is always harmful...
 

What's Wrong With Perfect? by Sylvia Rimm

Many talent areas demand excellence. Thus, the striving for perfection in an area of expertise may be a healthy development of talent. However, when perfectionism becomes pervasive and compulsive, it goes beyond excellence. ...
 

Working with Perfectionist Students (ERIC Digest) by Jere Brophy

Perfectionism is often overlooked, and even seen as a positive trait in gifted students, but in children with executive
functioning problems it can become disabling