The Perfection Trap

A groundbreaking and honest examination of the recent rise in perfectionism, which asks how we got here, how we can cope and, ultimately, how we might get out. In an age of optimisation and efficiency, where our productivity is valued above all else, the quest for limitless perfectionism has many subscribers. Perfectionism in young people has been increasing at an alarming rate. In 1989, just nine percent of young people reported levels of socially prescribed perfectionism, by 2017, this doubled to eighteen. By 2050, this percentage is projected to reach a sobering thirty-three percent. Against this backdrop of rising perfectionism, we are seeing more mental illness that ever before. Emerging from the rubble is a whole generation who appear to have it all, but in reality are struggling under the weight of their relentless work ethics. Let Go is an attempt to make sense of these remarkable times, offering much-needed answers, as well as practical tools to finally let go of perfectionism for good. Its message is radical and simple - asking us to view our afflictions not as personal defects, as society has taught, but rather as defects of something much broader: the dominant cultural frames of a world demanding uncompromising perfection. Grounded in over a decade of research, this timely and crucial book will dramatically change the way we see perfectionists - and crucially, how perfectionists see themselves.