Main description:

Perfectionism is growing more prevalent among young people today, with increasing numbers of children admitting they feel pressure to be, or appear to be, perfect.

This book describes perfectionism's mental health costs and effects on achievement, explaining the myriad and often surprising ways children and adolescents exhibit perfectionism in their family, school, and social environments. Most important, the authors suggest clinical interventions to help perfectionistic children regain perspective, and accept their limitations.

Authors Gordon L. Flett and Paul L. Hewitt expertly summarize relevant studies, demonstrating that perfectionism is pernicious and requires a complex and multi-faceted approach to prevention and treatment. A clinically-focused section rounds out the book, with concrete steps counselors and educators can take to help build resilience and adaptability.

Contents:

Introduction
Chapter 1: Core Themes and Definitions
Chapter 2: Perfectionism in Children and Adolescents: A Historical Perspective
Chapter 3: The Emergence and Prevalence of Perfectionism in Children
Chapter 4: Keys to Understanding Perfectionistic Children
Chapter 5: The Comprehensive Model of Perfectionistic Behavior in Children and Adolescents
Chapter 6: Measures of Perfectionism
Chapter 7: The Development of Perfectionism
Chapter 8: The Pressure to be Perfect in Learning, Performance, and Achievement
Chapter 9: Interpersonal and Psychosocial Aspects
Chapter 10: Perfectionism and Depression
Chapter 11: Perfectionism and the Suicidal Adolescent
Chapter 12: The Treatment of Perfectionism in Children and Adolescents
Chapter 13: Building Resilience and Adaptability in the Perfectionistic Child