
Perfectionism versus Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - DanBC
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201612/perfectionism-vs-obsessive-compulsive-disorder
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pkaye
I got to admit an OCD/perfectionism trait (out of many I will not all list) I
used to have when I was younger... I would install say an Linux distribution
on my computer and somewhere a few hours or days afterwards I would make a
slight mistake in configuring it and I felt a level of discomfort that I must
reinstall the whole thing from scratch. One summer I spend a good part of time
doing this kind of stuff and getting no productive stuff done. Used to think
it was normal behavior until I learned about OCD in a book by chance. I called
my hospital and spoke to a psychologist and the CBT therapy worked great for
me. Thankfully I've not had OCD compulsions since then. I just look back at my
youth and how much time I wasted acting that way...

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marpstar
Reminds me of a friend mine. When we were teens we’d be reformatting our
machines every other month it seemed like. The one time he created the
partition and ended up with something like 49.9GB instead of an even 50GB. He
proceeded to redo the entire install and partitioning while I stood by
dumbfounded that he’d waste all that time.

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shaolinpanda
I've done this myself! :/ It feels like the relief of getting it "right"
outweighs the time wasted, at least at the time. But it's kind of crazy when
you think about it!

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joe_the_user
One of the things about all these mainstream psychology arguments is that the
phenomena are presented either a pathological condition with associated brain
chemistry _or_ a simple psychological difference of little consequence. There
is no room anywhere in these discussions for person's condition to shade
between cognitive difference that can be quite useful in some situations and
related behavior that might be seen as a serious dysfunctional in other
circumstances (and people).

~~~
PhasmaFelis
I thought that the DSM's criterion for pathology vs. eccentricity was whether
it negatively effects the person and/or those around them. Treatment is only
indicated insofar as the condition is actually causing a problem.

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0xFFFE
Is striving for an elegant solution making optimal use of resources same as
striving for perfection? Question is half rhetorical, asking because I would
like to hear other opinions.

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WalterSear
I don't think so.

Perfectionism is about meeting an premeditated ideal. Striving for an elegant
solution involves approaching a problem with an open mind, and making
compromises.

Elegance minimizes and co-opts cruft. Perfectionism's anxiety refuses to admit
that cruft is an unavoidable and often necessary part of life, and is usually
too expensive to entirely eliminate.

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Koshkin
TL;DR: Perfectionism is OCPD (where 'P' stands for 'personality').

I think that most people who call themselves perfectionists are not really,
they just like the way it sounds. But if they really are (whether because of
OCPD or because they are trying), they tend to wreak havoc on things they want
to make perfect - including their own lives...

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drunkenmonkey
Sometimes havoc is optimal.

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Kenji
_Individuals with OCD who prepared a meal may not be able to eat their food
because of thoughts that the stove might be on._

I have a coworker who told me that he used to take a photo of his stove before
going out of the house so when he was at work, he could simply take out his
smartphone and confirm that the stove was off. Engineers sure get inventive
with their coping mechanisms :)

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danieltillett
Has anyone met an actual perfectionist (i.e. someone who produces near perfect
work)? All the "perfectionists" I have met are either delusional (i.e. their
output is far from perfect), or who are just slow and who use it as an excuse
for their lack of productivity.

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watwut
Perfectionists don't produce perfect work. As described in article, they obess
with details, lists, loose sight of big picture and then can't finish work
(half of task being perfected other still untouched ) or finish it after very
long time.

I met some people who did very little mistakes. In anything non trivial there
tend to be differences of opinion about what is perfect solution.

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danieltillett
I understand what the clinical definition of a perfectionist is - I was more
interested to know if anyone had met an actual perfectionist.

The people I have met who have produced the best solutions are the least like
the clinical definition of a perfectionist - they are efficient, see the big
picture, and pump out the best (or near best) answer first time.

