In law school, perfectionism can feel like an important survival skill. Perfect precision is rewarded, lofty standards are expected, and being “almost right,” well, it just isn’t good enough. But what happens when that desire to be perfect morphs into something harmful, something that makes even small mistakes feel like personal failings? That’s the territory of maladaptive perfectionism, and it’s a serious, under-discussed risk in the legal profession.
What Is Maladaptive Perfectionism?
For many years, I wore my perfectionism like a badge of honor. I felt that my inner drill sergeant drove me to be my best and that only through constantly pushing myself, would I ever accomplish anything. I was afraid that if I wasn’t mercilessly hard on myself, I ran the risk of slacking, losing my edge, and failing miserably. These deeply held beliefs came at the cost of both my personal peace and ever feeling proud of anything I accomplished because I always fell short. After all, what else could I expect if attaining perfection was the very least I could do?
As it turns out, I was suffering under the weight of maladaptive perfectionism. Maladaptive perfectionism takes the desire for excellence and twists it into a fear-based compulsion. It’s not about doing your best; it’s about never making mistakes. Ever. And being soul-crushed when you do.
Lawyers with maladaptive perfectionism often:
• Set unrealistically lofty standards for themselves.
• Magnify and dwell on even minor errors.
• Avoid tasks for fear they won’t do them perfectly.
• Tie their self-worth to achievement or external validation.
• Struggle to delegate or trust others.
These traits can lead to stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression, hardly the outcome hoped for by those of us who have those perfectionistic tendencies.
Why Are Lawyers So Vulnerable?
Legal culture rewards perfectionism. From day one, our training emphasizes precision, diligence, and the avoidance of mistakes at all costs. When combined with the deeply ingrained fear of failure that often rides roughshod over our thinking, this culture can reinforce unhealthy beliefs like:
• “I cannot mess this up.”
• “There’s no room for error in this job.”
• “This has to be perfect.”
This mindset can turn an admirable effort to “do your best” into a contorted fear that mistakes come at great personal expense. Suddenly, we are driven by outcomes and less focused on what we can realistically accomplish on behalf of our clients.
The Hidden Costs
Perfectionism might look like overachievement on the outside, but internally, it often leads to:
• Procrastination: Waiting for the “perfect” time or outcome often leads to the originally stress of the project plus an extra percentage attributable to the delay in getting started.
• Overwork: Over-editing, over-preparing, or overanalyzing can create inefficiencies and decision paralysis as we ensure that we absolutely did not miss anything.
• Reduced resilience: Perfectionists tend to take failure personally it means something about them not just their work. This makes bouncing back from a bad outcome fundamentally more difficult.
Shifting the Mindset
If any of these sounds familiar, know this: you are not alone, and this can get better. Here are some first steps:
1. Notice the voice of perfectionism. Start catching those all-or-nothing thinking patterns in mid-air. Watch for “should,” “must,” or “never” statements in your self-talk. Then reframe them into something motivating and realistic.
2. Set realistic standards. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good enough. Set substantive benchmarks and when they are met, your work is “good enough” to be done and submitted even if a better answer may be out there somewhere.
3. Accept mistakes as part of growth. Everyone makes them. Every lawyer you admire has, too. Think of mistakes as an opportunity to enrich your reasoning and problem-solving ability. Look for personal or professional growth opportunities that arise from mistakes.
4. Reach out, especially if this feels problematic. Talk to a colleague, mentor, or someone from LCL. Sometimes, getting another set of eyes and ears on a problem helps immensely in its management. There are specific strategies you can learn that will help you focus on excellence while still breaking up with your inner drill sergeant.
Final Thoughts
Recently, the results of the 2024 Report on Perfectionism and Well-Being entitled, “The Perfectionist Paradox,” underscored the harm that can be caused by this rigid mindset and brought this issue once again into legal conversations. Why? Because highly perfectionistic attorneys suffer at much higher rates from depression, high stress levels, and burnout. The study also shows a marked number of professional growth opportunities that are lost to this desire to achieve the unattainable.
The release of the desirability of this mindset may be a hard sell, but its effectuation will lead to happier, more productive attorneys. Let’s start the conversation about shifting to a healthier mindset and watch our attorneys flourish.