Overvigilance & Inhibition - Unrelenting Standards/Hypercriticalness Flashcards
Typical presentation?
Perfectionistic & driven
Strive to meet standards because they “should”
Which 2 schemas often go together?
Unrelenting/hypercritical & approval seeking/recognition
What are the 3 schemas most often seen in narcissistic personality
Unrelenting standards/hypercritical, approval seeking/recognition seeking, entitlement/grandiosity
What often underlies these three compensatory schemas of narcissism?
Defectiveness & emotional deprivation schemas
What are the most typical emotions experienced by unrelenting/hypercritical?
Relentless pressure
Because perfection impossible, must always try harder
Intense anxiety about failing
Hypercriticalness of self and others
Irritability
Competitiveness
Typical characteristics
Rigid rules re ethics and religion
All or nothing thinking: have met standard exactly or have failed
Rarely take pleasure in success as already focused on next task that must be accomplished perfectly
Goals of treatment
Reduce standards and criticalness
Accomplish less, accomplish it less perfectly
Aim for more balance between accomplishment and pleasure
Connect emotionally to others
More accepting of human imperfection
Less rigid with rules
Cognitive Strategies?
Performance a spectrum from poor to perfect with many gradations
Not all or nothing
Advantages of lowering standards
Ways schema damaging enjoyment of life and relationships with significant others
Reduce perceived risks of imperfection ***
Imperfection and mistakes do not have anticipated extreme negative consequences
What are the origins?
- Internalization of parent with high standards
Build up part of self that can fight internalized demanding parent - Compensation for Defectiveness
Experiential visualization
Plus visualize perfectionist within
