Abstract
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- Volume 30
- Issue 4
- Publication Date: Fall 2007
A “Perfect” Case Study: Perfectionism in Academically Talented Fourth Graders
Jill L. Adelson
The topic of perfectionism is bound to surface when discussing the social and emotional development of gifted children and adolescents (Davis & Rimm, 1994; Greenspon, 1998; Kerr, 1991; Parker & Adkins, 1995; Silverman, 1990, 1993a; Schuler, 2002). Whereas Greenspon (2000) asserts that “perfectionism is a wound; it is never healthy” (p. 208), others in the field assert that children with perfectionistic qualities are faced with a double-edged sword that can manifest itself either in a healthy or unhealthy manner. For instance, Silverman (1999) asserts that healthy expressions of 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 procrastination, avoidance, anxiety, a self-defeated attitude, and underachievement (Hamachek, 1978; Reis, 2002; Schuler, 1997, 2002; Silverman, 1993a, 1999).
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