Sponsored by
PERFECTIONISM CAME FROM CLINICAL WRITING NOT A SCALE
Perfectionism Today Is Measured With A Questionnaire
Scoring It Was Not How The Idea Began
Karen Horney Described It In A Book Of Clinical Writing
Description Is Only Half Of How The Trait Was Studied
The Other Half Is The Scales Researchers Built
Those Questionnaires Were Written Decades After Her Book
This Part Covers How Perfectionism Became A Score
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
A Quick Shoutout To Our Sponsor: KLOVER
Here's What They Have For You 💰
👇🏻
Short on cash? Get up to $750, no credit check.
Is payday still a few days away, but the bills aren't waiting? We've all been there. That's why there's Klover — a cash advance of up to $750* from your upcoming paycheck, with no credit check and no late fees. Ever.
Cash in 3 Easy Steps
Sign up — Creating your Klover account takes just minutes.
Link your bank — Securely connect the account where your paycheck lands.
Get your cash — Access up to $750* within minutes for a small fee, or wait 3 days and get it for free.
No credit check. No late fees. No catch — just a little breathing room until payday.
*Not all users will qualify. Advances range from $25–$750; average advance is $170. Express transfer fees may apply.
OKAY BACK FROM THE ARCHIVE 📚
👇🏻
THE TYRANNY OF THE SHOULD 📖
Karen Horney Published Neurosis And Human Growth In 1950
One Chapter In It Has The Title The Tyranny Of The Should
That Chapter Sets Out What Horney Called Inner Dictates
An Inner Dictate Is A Demand A Person Makes On Himself
Horney Described Them As Inexorable And Titled The Chapter For That
Her Examples Are Long And Specific
He Should Be The Perfect Lover And Husband And Teacher
Enduring Everything And Liking Everybody Come Next
Never Feeling Hurt Is Among Them
Another Dictate Is Never To Be Tired Or Fall Ill
Knowing And Understanding And Foreseeing Everything Is There Too
Solving Every Problem In No Time Is Included
Horney Pointed To A Disregard For Feasibility In The Demands
A Dictate Can Disregard The Conditions Needed To Fulfil It
It Ignores His Present Psychic Condition As Well
Horney Wrote That Patients Often Recognise This At Once
None Of This Came From A Questionnaire
Nothing In The Chapter Assigns Anyone A Number
A Quick Shoutout To Our Sponsor: CBDISTILLERY
Here's What They Have For You 🍃
👇🏻
The CBD Brand that Actually Does What It Says
When it comes to CBD brands, CBDistillery sets itself apart. Since 2016, their products have been made with:
Non-GMO, US-grown hemp
No corn syrup
No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners
Special Deal for Our Readers: Save 50% on orders of $75+ with code AUGUST50!
THE FIRST SPLIT 🪞
Hamachek Published An Article In 1978
He Proposed Two Forms Of Perfectionism Instead Of One
The Positive Form He Labelled Normal Perfectionism
Neurotic Perfectionism Was The Label For The Negative Form
Normal Perfectionists Enjoy Pursuing Their Perfectionistic Strivings
Neurotic Perfectionists Suffer From Theirs
Later Researchers Called That Article Seminal
The Dominant View Of The 1980s Did Not Follow Him
Perfectionism Was Treated As Always Neurotic
That View Called It Dysfunctional And Indicative Of Psychopathology
Burns Wrote In Psychology Today In November 1980
His Article Was Titled The Perfectionist's Script For Self Defeat
It Ran From Page 34 To Page 52 Of A Magazine
Burns Also Built A Perfectionism Scale That Year
Its Items Came From The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale
That Scale Was Developed To Capture Attitudes Of Depressed Clients
Research Of That Decade Relied On One Dimensional Measures
Perfectionism Was Found Negative And Dysfunctional And Pathological
Stoeber And Otto Wrote That This Comes As No Surprise
A Quick Shoutout To Our Sponsor: PIQUE
Here's What They Have For You 🍵
👇🏻
Afternoon energy. Minus the afternoon coffee.
Pique’s new X·E Fountain energy drink delivers clean, caffeine-free energy without the jitters, crash, or dehydration. Vitamin B Complex, magnesium, and electrolytes help support steady focus, while crisp cucumber-celery-lime makes every sip ridiculously refreshing.
THE TURN TO MEASUREMENT 🔢
Two Research Groups Changed That At The Start Of The 1990s
Both Groups Showed That Perfectionism Is Multidimensional In Nature
They Worked Independently Of Each Other
The Frost Group Published In 1990
Hewitt And Flett Followed In 1991
Both Instruments Were Named The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale
Researchers Have Referred To Both By The Same Name
One Article Adopted The Abbreviation FMPS To Avoid Confusion
The Change Was Not Only A Matter Of Naming
Perfectionism Before This Was An Interpretation Of A Patient
Afterwards The Trait Was A Number On A Questionnaire
A Score Can Be Compared Between People
Scores Can Also Be Compared Across Years
Horney Had No Way To Do Either
The Earlier Measures Had Treated Perfectionism As One Thing
Frost And Colleagues Proposed Six Facets Instead
Hewitt And Flett Proposed Three
Those Two Papers Are Where The Current Era Of Research Began
