Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-266) and index.
Contents:
Prologue -- Part one: What is perfectionism? Our favorite flaw -- Tell me I'm enough -- Part two: What does perfectionism do to us? What doesn't kill you -- I started something I couldn't finish -- The hidden epidemic -- Part three: Where does perfectionism come from? Some perfectionists are bigger than others -- Part four: How can we embrace imperfection in the republic of good enough? Accept yourself -- Postscript for a post-perfectionism society.
Summary:
Today, burnout and depression are at record levels, driven by a combination of intense workplace competition, oppressively ubiquitous social media encouraging comparisons with others, the quest for elite credentials, and helicopter parenting. Society continually broadcasts the need to want more, and to be perfect. Gathering a wide range of contemporary evidence, Curran calls for both introspection and broader, societal change. He shows what we can do as individuals to resist the modern-day pressure to be perfect, and in so doing, win for ourselves a more purposeful and contented life.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.