Healing the perfectionist surgeon.
Disabling perfectionism rules both the personal and professional life of many surgeons. Internalization of a relentless drive for perfection in care, as well as in life, is reinforced through rigorous and competitive training and fostered by cultural pressures to perform to the highest--and frequently unrealistic--standards. Society demands perfection from surgeons as a minimum standard. In this article, the author describes the physician who is a victim and perpetrator of this mindset and presents prevalent attributes of perfectionism, common traits of perfectionists, and plans and interventions for reducing perfectionism in the medical-surgical setting.
Pfifferling
John-Henry
JH
Center for Professional Well-Being, 21 West Colony Place, #150, Durham, NC 27705, USA. cpwb@mindspring.com
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D013518:Surgery, Plastic