DEEP DIVE: Admitting Things Aren't Perfect

Published: Aug. 5, 2024, 9:30 a.m.

This month, we're doing a deep dive series into letting things go\u2014arguments, unattainable standards, you name it! You can find the playlist with all of the episodes in the series\xa0here. \nIt's hard to admit things aren't perfect. It's especially hard for moms. Psychologists Paul Hewitt and Gordon Flett described three types of perfectionism in the 1990s: self-directed (I must be a size 2), others-directed (do that piano exercise again until you get it right), and "socially mediated" perfectionism, which comes from society making unrealistic demands of a person or a group and punishing that person when she falls short. Sound familiar?\nTurns out the amount of socially mediated perfectionism a parent feels is directly related to her level of "parental burnout," defined as exhaustion in one\u2019s role as a parent, feelings of being fed up as a parent, and even emotional distancing from one\u2019s children. Not the place any of us want to get to. So why is it so hard to admit things aren't perfect? And how can we start?\nHere are links to some of the research on the topic that we discuss in this episode: \n\nFatemeh Ghanbari Jahromia et al: The relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and depression: The mediating role of maladaptive cognitive schemas\xa0\n\n\nPaul Hewitt and Gordon Flett: Perfectionism in the Self and Social Contexts\n\n\nMatilda Sorkkila and Kaisa Aunola: Risk Factors for Parental Burnout among Finnish Parents: The Role of Socially Prescribed Perfectionism\n\n\n\nWhat Fresh Hell Podcast is going on tour across the Northeast US this fall! Join us for a live version of the podcast and bring all your mom friends. We can\u2019t wait to go back on the road!\xa0https://bit.ly/whatfreshhelltour\n\ufeff\nWe love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:\nhttps://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/\nmom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips,\xa0mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid\u2019s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, self-conscious, mindfulness\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices