Perfectionism and the Law: The Good, and the Bad and Ugly
“You’re a perfectionist.”
How many lawyers wouldn’t describe themselves as perfectionistic? Would you call your practice imperfect to a prospective client or in a lateral interview? What would your current clients think of that? Being a perfectionist might feel right to you. When a project is done just the way you want it and you’re confident that nobody else in their reasonable mind would have done anything differently, it feels good. You feel a sense of pride and satisfaction after buttoning up some flawless work. Maybe some exhaustion due to all effort spent getting it done, but still pretty darn good overall. For others, the perfectionist label is a bit uncomfortable. You recognize perfectionistic tendencies in your expectations and behaviors, but they feel more like obligations. You don’t feel pride and satisfaction from flawless execution, you feel relief. You’re not a “real” perfectionist, but you act like one and the effort needed for it is absolutely real. What is Perfectionism?
In research, perfectionism is understood as “a personality disposition characterized by exceedingly high standards for and overly critical evaluations of one's own performance.” (Gazica et al., 2021). So a one-two punch of unreasonable standards and an unfair judgment process. A consequence is that the perfectionist experiences much more stress and everything that comes with it compared to their non-perfectionist peers (Molnar et al. 2017). But going back to the two reactions described above, both camps fit this description and yet their respective experiences are strikingly different. What’s that about? Three camps of perfectionism
As it turns out, there are subcategories of perfectionism that have profoundly different impacts on the individual. The former camp comfortably accepts the perfectionist label because they embody what is termed self-oriented perfectionism, where that drive and interest in flawless performance is intrinsic to the individual. Their standards are personally meaningful; they arise from within and align with their values. That's why pursuing and meeting those standards feels good for them. In contrast, the latter camp is on the receiving end of socially prescribed perfectionism. It’s externally motivated. Their standards arise from the belief that they are required elements for acceptance by others in their environment (Gazica et al., 2021). Your colleagues don’t make mistakes, bad lawyers make mistakes, and your stakeholders can’t afford mistakes, so therefore you must not make mistakes. Perfectionism for fear of judgment and consequence is a chore. And it feels lousy. A quick note that a third form of perfection is other-oriented. That is, when an individual holds others to those unreasonable standards and judges them harshly. Other-oriented perfectionism has not been shown to have an adverse impact an individual's functioning, but it cultivates socially prescribed perfectionism in others. More on this farther down below. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism: The good, and the bad and ugly
Here's how self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism show up in an individual's functioning: The Self-Oriented Perfectionist:
Experiences adverse physical symptoms of perfectionism (i.e., physical symptoms of stress), but not psychological distress.Seeks out and obtains supporting resources to meet their own standards.Experiences a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life, self-efficacy, and career satisfaction (but only if their standards can be met).Leverages better coping strategies.Engages in healthier interpersonal interactions
The Socially Prescribed Perfectionist:
Experiences both adverse physical symptoms of perfectionism and psychological distress.Is deterred from seeking out and obtaining supporting resources for fear of evaluation.Maintains a poorer self-regard and poor emotional expression (and therefore, is predisposed to burnout).Strains to meet the standards imposed upon them.Exhibits anti-social behaviors.
(Gazica et a., 2021). In short, there are virtues to being self-oriented, but socially prescribed perfectionism is almost entirely bad. Think of how different it feels to be motivated because of something you want as opposed to what someone else wants from you.Who prescribed that perfectionism to me?
Socially prescribed perfectionism arises from two main sources: (1) your interactions with people at work and (2) messaging from your affiliated organizations such as your firm, your bar association, or your company (Gazica et a., 2021). Returning to the idea of other-oriented perfectionists mentioned earlier, these are prime sources of socially prescribed unreasonable standards and expectations. Attorneys that are just starting out are particularly susceptible due to their reliance on mentors, peers, and more experienced practitioners for guidance (Gazica et a., 2021). Socially prescribed perfectionism began in law school for many lawyers. An old study found that incoming 1L’s have a similar rate of psychological disorders as the rest of the general population, but that rate jumps up to 20-40% of practicing lawyers after graduation (Benjamin et al., 1986). How much has law school really changed in 40 years? Take a look at recent rates of psychological difficulties among lawyers and see how these things still show up today. Consider the law school environment. Cohorts of incoming students are ranked by performance on altogether new tasks, some of which are absolutely based on flawless execution (e.g., Bluebooking), and others seem like a complete mystery until it comes time to perform (e.g., your first final). Few things bring people closer together than commiseration, doubt, and a common cause, which incidentally plant seeds of prescribed perfectionism. Now consider the nature of practice. Discoverable materials with your touch on them are everywhere. Plenty of your past work has already been made public. Fears of malpractice if a reasonably perfectionistic attorney wouldn’t have missed [that thing]. Competitors circling your clients. Adversaries very much looking for any imperfections to undermine your cases and make you look bad. Look at all the ways things can go wrong if everything isn’t leakproof. Perfectionism is basically baked into the field. What can I do about it?.
There are a few things to consider. First, if you’re having a rough go of things at the moment, focus on your mental and emotional recovery. As discussed above, perfectionism itself is taxing and perfectionism stemming from the expectations of others is that much heavier of a lift. It takes effort, focus, and drive to consistently show up and attempt to meet demanding standards. Just as any athlete needs downtime before and after performing at their best, so do you. Note that burnout is a consequence of neglected self-maintenance.
Second, leverage your self-oriented perfectionism. Odds are you wanted to become a lawyer, you got into law school, and are now practicing because accomplishment and doing things well drives at least some part of you. It got you where you are now. Amplify whatever reason is behind that motivation and relegate socially prescribed chatter to background noise. Focus more on wanting the light at the end of the tunnel than the fear of the tunnel collapsing behind you. This is often even harder than it sounds especially if you’ve been operating this way for a while, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Finally, watch for ways you might be prescribing perfectionism on others. Are you an other-oriented perfectionist? Are you giving an impression that your acceptance turns on performance at work? If you’re a leader in your organization, what are you communicating to your people? There’s support for the idea that building a sense of psychological and social safety in the workplace can measurably improve morale and functioning in as little time as two months (Gazica et a., 2021). If you need ideas or help with this, I would welcome hearing from you.
Did you notice the extra period?
Perfectionism is complicated. It’s endemic to the practice of law but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It entails an added cost, but for many it also provides a sense of meaning and satisfaction. It can give rise to a genuine motivation to achieve and produce better quality work product. But just as with anything, the costs of perfectionism need to be monitored and managed, and there’s a dysfunctional aspect of perfectionism that can be harmful in the long term. Be mindful of your relationship with it and how it might be impacting others as well. Feel free to contact me to discuss.
References
Benjamin, G. A. H., Kaszniak, A., Sales, B., & Shanfield, S. B. (1986). The role of legal education in producing psychological distress among law students and lawyers. Law & Social Inquiry, 11(2), 225–252.
Gazica, M. W., Powers, S. R., & Kessler, S. R. (2021). Imperfectly perfect: Examining psychosocial safety climate’s influence on the physical and psychological impact of perfectionism in the practice of law. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 39(6), 741–757.
Molnar, D. S., Sirois, F. M., Flett, G. L., Janssen, W. F., & Hewitt, P. L. (2017). Perfectionism and health: The roles of health behaviors and stress-related processes. In J. Stoeber (Ed.), The psychology of perfectionism: Theory, research, applications (pp. 200–221). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.