In cooperation with the independent research bureau Indiville and our career center, a survey of more than 500 professionally active Flemings was conducted over the past few months.
The study shows that as much as 17% of the population has some form of perfectionism.
How high is the risk of burnout?
6 in 10 people, apart from a corona infection, experience stress-related physical complaints with aching muscles in the neck, shoulders or back and report difficulty falling asleep.
In fact, about 11% of labor actives are in the high risk zone (red) for burnout. Thus, these people are in fact "burned out.
How does this come about?
Society demands of many people and forces many changes in professional life: virtual meetings, telecommuting, hygiene rules in the workplace, leading or being led remotely, fast deadlines, high quality requirements. Mental fatigue has set in.
However, this study by Indiville proves that perfectionism can also be at the root of burnout.
The study also distinguishes between healthy and unhealthy perfectionism.
What do we mean by this?
Céline Douillez, professor of psychology at UCLouvain, describes in Knack on March 2, 2022 perfectionism as not so much the pursuit of perfection, but above all the inability to cope with imperfection.
Healthy perfectionism corresponds to individuals who set realistic goals and are motivated by increased self-confidence. Healthy perfectionists are able to deal flexibly with the demands of the outside world and especially the pressure they put on themselves. They can strive for high goals and excellence, but know how to protect themselves from pressure and consciously build in time for themselves.
Unhealthy perfectionism causes people to set unrealistic goals, and thus experience a difference in what they want to achieve and what they effectively achieve. As a result, they live in fear of failure.
It is striking that healthy perfectionism best protects you from burnout.
Worryingly, the group between the ages of 18 and 35 shows a significantly higher risk of burnout. The pressure on young people is increasing, not only in terms of school and/or work performance, but also from social media where you are constantly compared and where only the beautiful and fun moments are shown. Our lives have to look perfect. The risk of burnout shows strongly in this age group with chances of eating disorders, excessive self-criticism, dissatisfaction with one's own achievements, fear of evaluations and fear of failure.
Yet there is also good news. Previous research from KU Leuven (Naomi Borkelmans 2017 commissioned by Prof Hans De Witte) has already pointed out that unhealthy perfectionism can be addressed through coaching or therapy, more specifically cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic or interpersonal therapy and perfectionism coaching. Addressing your unhealthy perfectionism increases your resilience and enables you to transform your unhealthy perfectionism into healthy perfectionism.
We have developed a short test to substantiate whether you:
Whether or not you are a perfectionist
2. if you are a perfectionist: do you do this in a healthy or unhealthy way
This short indicative test is completely free. Many people do not know about themselves that they have perfectionist tendencies, so use this short test to find out if you are a perfectionist and if your behavior could turn into burnout in the long run.
Do you want to turn your unhealthy perfectionism into healthy perfectionism?
Our expert coaches Sabine Havelaerts and Ellen Vanbuel have created a workshop with practical tools with lasting results.