a perfect case study

8/3/2019 A Perfect Case Study

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-perfect-case-study 1/7

14

Te topic of perfectionism is bound to surface when dis-cussing the social and emotional development of gifted chil-dren and adolescents (Davis & Rimm, 1994; Greenspon,1998; Kerr, 1991; Parker & Adkins, 1995; Silverman, 1990,1993a; Schuler, 2002). Whereas Greenspon (2000) assertsthat “perfectionism is a wound; it is never healthy” (p. 208),others in the field assert that children with perfection-istic qualities are faced with a double-edged sword that canmanifest itself either in a healthy or unhealthy manner. For

instance, Silverman (1999) asserts that healthy expressionsof perfectionism can lead to achievement, self-confirmation,high self-esteem, responsibility, and “unparalleled greatness”(p. 216). On the other hand, perfectionistic qualities that

are exhibited in an unhealthy way may result in procras-tination, avoidance, anxiety, a self-defeated attitude, andunderachievement (Hamachek, 1978; Reis, 2002; Schuler,1997, 2002; Silverman, 1993a, 1999).

As a teacher in a self-contained gifted and talented fourth-grade classroom for several years, I observed many students

who exhibited perfectionism in a myriad of unhealthy ways,and several findings emerged from my observations of these children. First, across differing rates of development,both mental and physical manifestations of perfectionismabounded. Regardless of group size (e.g., individual, smallgroup, or whole class) or type of activity (e.g., art, music try-outs, recess, math, language arts, or social studies), at least

one child exhibited unhealthy perfectionistic behaviors. My observations of the students across various contexts enabledme to document a range of manifestations of perfectionism,suggesting ways in which perfectionism can affect giftedchildren in schools. I found that these manifestations couldbe categorized, and the following case studies represent thedifferent types of unhealthy manifestations of perfectionismthat emerged in my observations.

A “Perfect”

Case Study:Perfectionism in Academically Talented Fourth Graders

by Jill L. Adelson

“Perectionism must be seen as a potent orce capable o bringing either

intense fustration and paralysis or intense satisaction and creativecontribution, depending on how it is channeled.” (Schuler, 2002, p. 71)



gifted child today 15

Perectionism in Academically Talented Fourth Graders

continued on page ??

The Academic Achiever—“Must Achieve 110%”

Elena1 was a student academi-cally accelerated in mathemat-

ics. When she was first asked totake a diagnostic test, she wouldbecome frustrated and wouldsay, “I can’t leave it blank!” Shebelieved she should know how tosolve every problem, whether ornot she had ever been exposed tothe concepts tested. Despite thediagnostic nature of the test, she would struggle with the idea of skipping a problem.

Ivan worked diligently on hismath practice. He was not sat-isfied with anything less than100% correct. If he missed a sin-gle problem, he did not believehe was ready for a test of thematerial. He would continue todo extra practice, even if he only missed one problem due to a“careless” mistake.

While playing a review game in

social studies, Sherman becamefrustrated. For each questionasked, he expected himself toremember every detail aboutthe event, person, or place and would become very frustratedif he could not, even resortingto pounding on his head tryingto remember. his attitude alsoaffected Sherman’s participationin math games. He expected tosolve every puzzle and to solveit immediately, or he wouldbecome discouraged and upset with himself.

Cho came to the United States when she was in kindergarten.She was identified for the self-contained gifted and talented

class and worked very hard toearn top grades. Math and sci-ence came easily to her. Althoughshe was reading above grade levelin English, her second language,her language arts average was a

low A. She was distraught about“not being good” at reading anddid extra work each weekend totry to improve. Her parents also were worried about her readingability and would request extraassignments for Cho.

Te Academic Achievers, studentsexhibiting negative perfectionism inacademic pursuits, had unrealistically high expectations for their own per-

formance and were not satisfied with ascore of 100, literally pushing for extracredit on everything they did because ascore of 100 was not enough for them.If they did not earn the top grade orcould not remember the answer word-for-word on every assessment (formalor informal) in every subject, they became upset with themselves. Dueto the extremely high standards they imposed on themselves, they put forthmore effort than was required to mas-ter the material and achieve at the toplevel. ypically, these students were highachievers and earned very high grades,but they would become disappointed

with themselves when they earned any-thing less and were never satisfied withthe achievements and grades they hadearned; they wanted to earn all of theextra credit points and obtain the high-est possible score for each assessment.Even though they had high grades inall academic subjects, they often com-pleted extra credit projects and assign-ments and did so with as much energy and effort as they put into their required

work. Tese students focused heavily on their mistakes, and even when they met the expectations of the task at hand,they rarely were satisfied with theirperformance. Teir focus was on the

end product or grade, and they judgedthemselves on that alone. In some cases,like that of Cho, the students had fam-ily pressures, as well as their own pres-sure for perfection. As Davis and Rimm(1994) noted, gifted students may have

pressures that arise from their family,their peers, or themselves for “perfect”

work. As an educator, it is important

to become aware of these students. Although it is easy to praise studentsfor high grades, it is much more impor-tant to praise them for their efforts.Educators need to put more empha-sis on effort and strategies and muchless on grades and on “personal traits(like being smart)”(Dweck, 1999, p.

3). Furthermore, these students needguidance in taking pride in the pro-cess and in using mistakes as learn-ing experiences. For example, Elenalearned to take diagnostic tests withless anxiety because she understood theneed to identify areas of strength and weaknesses and learn the material shedoes not know. I had Ivan correct hismistakes and write “WIMI’s” (“why I missed it”), leading to a focus onlearning from the mistakes instead of on looking at the grade. Despite hiscompetitive nature and tendency tostrive for perfection, Sherman learnedto identify his mistakes and weak-nesses in the math game, and whenhe was eliminated from the classroomtournament, he focused on learningfrom the mistakes he made instead of berating himself for them. Despite thecompletion of the tournament, he took a box of cards home to practice and toimprove his own performance for nextyear. Cho continued to work on herlanguage arts skills, but she learned tofocus on improvement rather than thegrade. She needed encouragement torecognize and celebrate her strengthsrather than focusing solely on her“weakness” and comparing it to theabilities of her peers.



16


The Risk Evader—“All or Nothing”

Despite the art teacher’s compli-ments of Kathleen’s artistic abil-

ity and winning a schoolwideartistic contest, she did not think she could draw. In art class, if thetask was to draw, Kathleen didnot want to participate and only did so reluctantly.

Brandon wanted a major rolein the school musical, and hehad the singing ability to earnthat role. Unfortunately, shortly before the try-outs, Brandon

became ill, leaving him with littlevoice or energy on audition day.He chose not to try out that day and did not request to auditionon a different day.

Risk Evaders are plagued by theimpact of asynchronous developmentor physical limitations on their pur-suits, and they will avoid allowing their weaknesses to be exposed. When they encounter a task that requires both their

mind and their body, gifted childrenoften are faced with asynchrony—theirmind has developed faster than theirbody—which affects perfectionisticbehaviors (Morelock, 1992; Silverman,1993a, 1993b; annenbaum, 1992). Although their mind may see idealsand hold high standards, they can-not always meet those expectations intheir performance. Fearing this failureto achieve their standards and ideals,they may decide not to even attemptthe task, just as Kathleen did in art. Inher mind, she could see the intricatedetails that a botanist sees in a flowerand even noticed the pollen on the sta-men, but she feared that her hands, which had the dexterity and precisionof a 9-year-old, could not produce theimage from her mind.

Brandon also faced a situation in which he was afraid his body wouldnot be able to perform to his mind’sideal. Students like Brandon are afraidof failure and cannot stand the idea thatthey may not meet their own expecta-

tions. Tey do not take delight in theprocess or in their attempts, and they do not even want to try because they fear they will not succeed at a level thatmeets their personal standards. Tis issimilar to Adderholdt-Elliott’s (1987)paralyzed perfectionist, who rational-izes that if he never performs, then hedoesn’t have to risk being rejected orcriticized.

As an educator, developing a safeclassroom environment that encour-

ages risk-taking is essential. Children who exhibit perfectionism must feelsupported within their classroom, sothe entire class must make a com-mitment to this safe environment. Without it, students may fear notonly their own rejection of their work,but also ridicule from their peers. Te

focus should continue to be placed onthe process and revisions. Studentsshould be encouraged to try new anddifferent experiences that may seemchallenging. Challenges should beregarded as adventurous and exciting

instead of daunting. Students shouldbe applauded for efforts to tacklesomething new rather than alwaysbeing judged for their final products.

The Aggravated AccuracyAssessor—“Exactness

and Fixation on ‘Redos’”

Carlos worked meticulously

during several art classes on hisdrawing of a Confederate sol-dier for an art gallery focusingon Virginia. Whenever he wasnearly done, he decided to redothe drawing because it was notprecise enough. He constantly took the drawing up to the artteacher and to his classroomteacher for reassurance.

When taking notes in class, most

students appreciate the oppor-tunity to use shorthand and nothave to have everything in finalcopy form. However, Jodie wasnot this way. When the classperiod was over, she still would becopying notes. She painstakingly wrote each letter of each word,taking extra time and effort inmaking her notes as neat as pos-sible, even rewriting her notes if given the opportunity.

Curtis had been working on adrawing for the art gallery forseveral weeks. His drawing was almost complete when hedecided to throw it away. Whenquestioned about his decision,he replied, “But I colored his

As an educator,

developing a

safe classroom

environment thatencourages risk-

taking is essential.

Children who exhibit

perfectionism must

feel supported within

their classroom, so

the entire class must

make a commitmentto this safe

environment.






hair black!” Because he had envi-sioned the drawing differently but only had a black markerinstead of a brown one availableto him at the time, Curtis literally threw away his hard work.

Asynchronous development of thegifted child in areas such as writing orartistic expression can result in twodifferent types of unhealthy perfec-tionists. Students may become Risk Evaders, like Kathleen, and choosean all-or-nothing approach, or they may become Aggravated Accuracy Assessors, like Carlos and Jodie, andattempt the task but become frus-trated with their inability to meet

their mind’s ideal. Likewise, physicallimitations, such as the accessibility (orlack thereof) of materials, can resultin a final product that does not meetperfectionists’ standards, and they can become very frustrated with theirefforts and products. Tey may chooseto redo the same work over and over,may look frantically for ways to “fix”their work or find the necessary mate-rials, or may become disappointed intheir own work and give up trying.

Te key to helping students likethese is to recognize their standards asvaluable and acceptable as long-termgoals and have faith in their vision andtheir ability to meet their expectationsthrough effort and revision. Tese stu-dents need help modifying their imme-diate goals or standards and makingtheir unrealistic ones more realisticby setting them as long-term goals. All students could benefit from read-ing about and discussing people whorevised their works multiple times.For example, Tomas Edison did notinvent a successful light bulb untilafter almost 2 years of failed attemptsand more than 6,000 different car-bonized plant fibers (Grace ProductsCorporation, 1998), and two youngDetroit scientists did not create their

famous kitchen-cleaning formula untiltheir 409th attempt (hence the nameFormula 409). Because many studentsstruggle in art, examples of famous art-ists’ works, revisions, their biographies,and their autobiographies that illus-

trate the amount of time devoted totheir masterpieces would be beneficialto share.

Students also should have opportu-nities to critique one another’s work,pointing out aspects that they admireand offering constructive suggestionsfor improvement. Tis will help stu-dents learn to examine their artwork and writing more critically and iden-tify not only weaknesses, but alsostrengths.

For students like Jodie whosehandwriting slows down their ability to participate in class discussions andactivities, some prioritizing may benecessary. Younger students may notrecognize when “perfect” handwrit-ing is unnecessary or the differencebetween “perfect” and “legible,” andthey may need help distinguishingbetween those times. Tese studentsbenefit from being forced to create

“sloppy copies” that have a stipulationof no eraser marks allowed—they haveto write as they think and cross or scrib-ble out, add above and below lines, anddraw arrows instead of erasing. Tisneeds to be followed by opportunitiesto use their “perfect” handwriting andpublish the work.

The Controlling ImageManager—“I Could Have

Won if I Wanted to”

Brandon not only decided not toaudition for the school musical(even though he “could have” got-ten the part if he had tried out),but he also “wanted to” be “It.” While playing tag on the play-ground, Brandon ran and yelled,

“You can’t catch me!” However,as soon as the person who was Itgot near him, he jumped out of bounds and declared, “I wantedto be It!”

Misty competed in a classroomtournament with great intensity and skill, and she easily wonagainst her classmates. Aftercompeting against older studentsand winning the schoolwidetournament, she contemplatedintentionally getting penalties todisqualify herself from the dis-trict tournament.

Controlling Image Managers like

Brandon and Misty not only want tobe perfect, but they also want othersto regard them as perfect. If they areafraid they cannot reach their expecta-tions or others’ expectations, insteadof choosing to not participate, they may intentionally choose to eliminatethemselves. Tis still gives them theopportunity to think—and to say—that they could have won and beenperfect.

Other children in the class may getfrustrated with these students becausethey either win or give up. Te otherchildren never have a chance to fairly

win against these students in competi-tive situations. Role-playing may helpthese children to better understandothers’ feelings in competitive situa-tions. Tey also benefit from readingand discussing other people’s losses incompetitive situations or having guestspeakers talk about their personaldefeats, particularly in the sports arenaand other competitive situations.

Controlling Image Managers failto understand the pleasure of compe-tition and of trying to do one’s ownpersonal best because they focus toomuch on winning and being the best.Tey should be helped to set personalgoals before a competitive event so



18


they can strive for a standard basedon their personal performance andnot that of others. Using these strate-gies has a positive impact on studentsand encourages them to compete. Forexample, setting personal goals helped

Misty to decide to take the tournamentgame home and practice instead of committing to her plan to disqualify herself.

The ProcrastinatingPerfectionist—“If It Staysin My Mind, Then I Can’t

Fail”

he class was given the task of

creating a social studies review board game over a period of sev-eral weeks. Jade excitedly sharedher intricate vision. However, just days before the project wasdue, Jade still had not started working and did not have a planto create it.

When the class found out they would be competing in a nationalvocabulary contest, Micah was

very excited and announced thathe would earn a perfect score.he day before the contest,Micah admitted that he had notbegun studying. When asked why not, he just shrugged hisshoulders. hat night, he stayedup late studying. After he fin-ished the contest the next day, heannounced, “I didn’t have enoughtime to study, so I couldn’t getthem all right.”

When assigned an extensive proj-ect, some gifted children, like Jade, will plan elaborate, creative projects.Tey become excited about the proj-ect and about sharing their ideas butare not as excited to get started on theproject itself for fear of it not turning

out the way they imagine it or becausethey are intimidated by the formi-dable tasks ahead. ProcrastinatingPerfectionists have a perfect vision intheir mind, but the fear of their inabil-ity to achieve that vision causes them

to procrastinate, paralyzing them fromtaking action. Tey may think, “If Inever complete that project, I don’thave to risk getting a bad grade”(Adderholdt-Elliott, 1987, p. 27) oreven, “If I never complete that project,I don’t have to be disappointed thatthe final project didn’t turn out like I wanted it to.”

Some Procrastinating Perfectionists,like Micah, are paralyzed by their fearof failure and not meeting their mind’s

ideal, and they also use their procrasti-nation as a way to control their image.Like Jade, Micah had a vision of per-fection in his mind. However, his fearthat he could not achieve it lead himto procrastinate. His procrastinationalso allowed him to preserve his egoand gave him an excuse for not beingperfect. Addressing the fear of failureand the tendency to procrastinate willhelp alleviate the ego-saving behaviorthat some students use along with pro-crastination.

Procrastinating Perfectionists needhelp prioritizing and breaking downa large task into smaller subtasks.In working with a ProcrastinatingPerfectionist who has great vision butnot the steps to commence work on theproject, educators need to recognizethe need for assistance. ogether, thestudent and teacher can create a planto break the larger task into smallersegments and identify goals. Te stu-dent still can have high standards andexpectations for the final product, butnow he or she has a process to focuson and standards to meet along the way. Tis helps the student’s focusshift from the product to the processand from the outcome to the effort.In designing a schedule, it is impor-

tant to build in buffers so that whensomething does not go as planned, thestudent does not have to feel that he orshe already has failed and that there isno need to continue.

Furthermore, all children need

help prioritizing at some point. Tey may need to examine their scheduleand see when other tests and projectsare due and determine what is mostimportant to them. If they have anelaborate project or challenging goalin mind, they may not be able to putas much effort and focus on their mathor social studies test as they normally do—something has to give. eachersof gifted and talented students needto help them realize that they cannot

be perfect at everything and that whenthey have too much to accomplishthey must sacrifice a little of one thingto do well at something else. Whendiscussing these issues with students,it is important to examine the entirepicture and what currently requirestheir attention.

Take Action in YourClassroom

Although it manifests itself in dif-ferent ways, perfectionism is a strongtrait in many gifted children. In aclassroom that has gifted children,instances of perfectionism are exhib-ited every day and in every context.Educators must help students use per-fectionism in a positive manner andtransform it for future work. Somespecific strategies to help each type of perfectionist accomplish this are illus-

trated in able 1.

You Can Make aDifference

Using these strategies with giftedstudents like Judy can help them topursue work in a healthy manner,






resulting in creative contributionand intense satisfaction. Judy, anacademically talented fourth grader,grew up in a large family with olderand younger siblings who also had

been identified for gifted services.She demonstrated many of the typesof unhealthy manifestations of per-fectionism. Above all else, she was an Academic Achiever. Prior to fourth

grade, she had not been challengedsufficiently in the classroom and hadchanneled her perfectionism in a way that led to being a Risk Evader and, attimes, a Procrastinating Perfectionist.

Table 1Encouraging Healthy Perfectionism in the Classroom

Type o

Perectionist Defning Characteristics Action to Take in the Classroom

Academic

-

-

-

-

-

-



20


During her time in my classroom, Ihelped her gradually shift her focusfrom grades to effort and providedher with increasingly challenging aca-demic opportunities, which helped herbegin to take more risks in and out of

the classroom. Judy had an interest in writing, and focusing on the writingprocess and revisions helped her learnfrom her mistakes, as did diagnostictesting and analyzing the problemsshe had missed in mathematics. Shebegan swimming competitively and would set personal time goals ratherthan goals of placing first.

During the second semester, Judy accepted a personal challenge anddecided to complete an independent

study project. Tis project involvedher reading, taking notes, organiz-ing, prioritizing, and presenting. Wefrequently met to plan the stages of the project, set intermediary goals,analyze her progress, and adjust thetimeline as necessary. After complet-ing her research and creating a finalproduct, Judy presented to multiplegroups, giving her the opportunity tolearn from her experiences and reviseher presentation. Finally, Judy reflectedin writing about what she learned fromthe experience, both academically andpersonally, and what she will do dif-ferently the next time she attempts asimilar project.

Judy moved to middle school andhas continued to channel her perfec-tionism in a healthy way. She appearsto be satisfied in her pursuits (aca-demically, athletically, and artistically)and is making creative contributionsin and out of her classrooms. Despitenot having exceptional athletic talent,

Judy continues to swim and now plays softball. She frequently e-mailsme to tell how she increased in thenumber of hits she had in a gameor had a new personal best time in aswim meet, demonstrating her focuson personal performance goals. Judy

continues to love to write. She haslearned to focus her writing on herideas and then to revise for grammarand spelling so that she can concen-trate on one aspect of the process at atime. Although she still occasionally

finds herself procrastinating on study-ing challenging material for a test oragonizing over an A - rather than an A, Judy has learned to focus on effort,enjoy the process of learning, andaccept new challenges.

Te story of Judy is one of many stories of gifted students who exhibitunhealthy perfectionistic behaviors inthe classroom. By recognizing thesebehaviors and using strategies likethose listed in able 1, teachers andparents can make a difference andhelp these students use perfectionismin a positive manner now and in thefuture. GCT

End Notes

1Student names have been changed.

References

Adderholdt-Elliott, M. (1987). Perfection-ism: What’s bad about being too good .Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.

Davis, G. A., & Rimm, S. B. (1994). Edu-cation of the gifted and talented (3rd ed.).Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Dweck, C. S. (1999). Caution—Praisecan be dangerous. American Educator , 23(1), 4–9.

Grace Products Corporation. (1998).Te life of Tomas Edison. RetrievedNovember 6, 2006, from http://www.graceproducts.com/edison/life.html

Greenspon, . S. (1998). Te gifted self:Its role in development and emotionalhealth. Roeper Review, 20, 162–167.

Greenspon, . S. (2000). “Healthy perfec-tionism” is an oxymoron! Reflectionson the psychology of perfectionismand the sociology of science. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 11,197–208.

Hamachek, D. E. (1978). Psychodynamics

of normal and neurotic perfectionism.

Psychology, 15 , 27–33.

Kerr, B. A. (1991). A handbook for counsel-

ing the gifted and talented . Alexandria,

VA: American Association for Counsel-

ing and Development.Morelock, M. J. (1992). Giftedness: Te

view from within. Understanding Our

Gifted, 4 (3), 1, 11–15.

Parker, W. D., & Adkins, K. K. (1995).

Perfectionism and the gifted. Roeper

Review, 17 , 173–176.

Reis, S. M. (2002). Internal barriers, per-

sonal issues, and decisions faced by

gifted and talented females. Gifted Child

Today, 25 (1), 14–28.

Schuler, P. (2002). Perfectionism in gifted

children and adolescents. In M. Nei-hart, S. M. Reis, N. M. Robinson,

& S. M. Moon (Eds.), Te social and

emotional development of gifted children:

What do we know? (pp. 71–79). Waco,

X: Prufrock Press.

Schuler, P. A. (1997). Characteristics and

perceptions of perfectionism in gifted ado-

lescents in a rural school environment .

Unpublished doctoral dissertation,

University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Silverman, L. K. (1990). Issues in affective

development of the gifted. In J. Van-assel-Baska (Ed.), A practical guide to

counseling the gifted in a school setting

(pp. 15–30). Reston, VA: Council for

Exceptional Children.

Silverman, L. K. (1993a). A developmen-

tal model for counseling the gifted. In

L. K. Silverman (Ed.), Counseling the

gifted and talented (pp. 51–78). Denver,

CO: Love.

Silverman, L. K. (1993b). Te gifted indi-

vidual. In L. K. Silverman (Ed.), Coun-

seling the gifted and talented (pp. 3–28).Denver, CO: Love.

Silverman, L. K. (1999). Perfectionism.

Gifted Education International, 13,

216–225.

annenbaum, A. J. (1992). Early signs of

giftedness: Research and commentary.

Journal for the Education of the Gifted,

13, 22–36.

a perfect case study

Documents