Perfectionism often provides the motivation to surpass your limitations, to challenge yourself and prove yourself to others. But extreme perfectionism leads to obsessions, doubts, fear of making mistakes, paralysis and failure.
What does perfectionism stem from? What are its hidden causes? And why do some people ask so much of themselves?
This book aims to help readers make reasonable demands of themselves, find personal satisfaction, and ultimately to achieve authentic life goals.
Are you a perfectionist? To help readers evaluate themselves, a personalised test has been included here, followed by a series of suggestions to overcome excessive perfectionism.
Do you think your child is too much of a perfectionist? The author describes how to help him of her.
Do you have to deal with the tyranny of a perfectionist at work? Do you live with a perfectionist? This book also addresses your problems and provides numerous tips.
Can perfectionists make themselves physically ill, or stop themselves from getting well? The answer is yes: stress, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anorexia can all be related to excessive perfectionism.
The relentless search for improvement, or cult of perfection, is a common cultural ideal that contemporary Western society has contributed to promote. We are told that we must have perfect bodies, successful personal and professional lives, well-educated children, and that we must at all times display our unflawed happiness.
Illustrated with numerous personal accounts and examples, this is a practical, accessible book on the psychology of perfectionism.

Frédéric Fanget is a medical psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He is the author of Affirmez-vous!, La Confiance en soi (2003) and of the best-selling Oser.