Whether you wear it like a badge of honor or you hide behind its curtains of despair, if you’re reading this, you have come to terms with the fact that you are a perfectionist. And, as a perfectionist, you may wonder about the specifics of it all, because not all perfectionists are created equal. Lucky for you, there are quizzes, standardized, or for informational purposes, that can give you a more accurate (ahem, perfect) description of the type of perfectionist that you are. 

Perfectionism isn’t a good or bad thing.

Even if many perfectionists tend to think in black or white terms. Research on perfectionism by Hewitt and Flett has delineated three types of perfectionism. Self-oriented, socially prescribed, and other-oriented perfectionism. 

The self-oriented perfectionist:

The self-oriented perfectionist expects personal perfection by reaching personally, high set standards, and intrinsically motivated to achieve goals for themselves. Self-oriented perfectionists can be highly critical of themselves, yet caring and nurturing of others. 

The socially prescribed perfectionist:

The socially prescribed perfectionist lives under the impression that everyone and their mother expects them to act perfectly, and terrible things will happen if they don’t live up to par. Feelings of self-deprecating humor, social anxiety, and often feeling like they’re living under a microscope. 

The other-oriented perfectionist:

The other-oriented perfectionist expects everyone and their mother to act perfectly, regardless of whether they themselves live up to those standards. They are highly critical of anyone who doesn’t live up to their high, and often unrealistic, expectations. They are quick to show their disapproval and slow to show their empathy and support. 

Take this quiz and find out which of the three perfectionist styles mostly resembles you. 

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