Purpose

  We are developing a four-part podcast that explores perfectionism through the lenses of culture, gender identity, and birth order. Drawing from our diverse backgrounds, each episode will highlight both shared and distinct experiences with perfectionism. The final episode will discuss the methods we've personally used, those employed in therapy, and potential community-based actions to combat perfectionism. Given the limited culturally sensitive counseling resources for African/African American, Native American, and Latinx populations, our podcast aims to inform counselors about sociocultural influences affecting perfectionist thinking to better cater to their emotional needs. 

Each segment will feature a brief introduction of the hosts and their cultural identities, followed by a discussion prompt that explores personal and cultural understandings of perfectionism. We will integrate relevant research findings, including the three types of perfectionism, associated health risks, and how perfectionism manifests differently across cultures. 

A key supporting article by Kelly (2015), an orthopedic surgeon, distinguishes between healthy goal-setting and perfectionism. He identifies perfectionism's links to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation. Kelly also explains how perfectionists often feel relief rather than joy after achievements and struggle with all-or-nothing thinking. His strategies, like listing pros and cons, focusing on progress over results, and accepting one’s imperfections, will help shape our podcast's overall message. Most notably, his emphasis on authenticity over perfection resonated with us and supports our goal to address masking and internalized pressure in multicultural contexts.