The Phenomenon of Perfectionism as Socio-Cultural Pathology

This article focuses on domestic and foreign theoretical ideas about the nature of perfectionism tendencies. The views of theorists and clinicians on the socio-cultural contribution to the pathopsychological structure of perfectionism formation are described. The author supports the tendency to consider perfectionism as a phenomenon of socio-cultural pathology that has roots in the culture of narcissism and that marks the risk-groups in regard to borderline identity development. Perfectionism is seen as a specific syndrome of potentially destructive psychological features. The growing interest in the phenomenon of perfectionism and attempts to explain it using various sociological, ethical, psychological and clinical psychological models reflects the cultural and axiological changes harmful to the individual and society. On the basis of main ideas of cultural-historical and activity paradigms on the unity of the social and psychological aspects of normal and abnormal development of the psyche, on the dynamic interaction of affective and cognitive components of personality as well as on the syndromic approach we make an attempt to describe the specific for perfectionists features of the Self image, cognitive-affective style and interpersonal interaction.