Volume 26, Issue 2, Fall 2012
Elliot D. Cohen
Pages 245-252
Is Perfectionism a Mental Disorder?
This paper brings to bear empirical evidence from a sample of undergraduate students to show that perfectionism can be a fundamental cognition behind the essential symptoms of some anxiety and mood disorders, notably Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression; and it suggests that this popular “philosophy of life” may helpfully be used in diagnosing these disorders.