The work looks at the dark side of perfectionism — maladaptive perfectionism, in research parlance — and how this develops in schoolchildren. A perfectionist parenting style can backfire, researchers say. These were the moms and dads who "took over the game to retract a move made by the child," the researchers said. They told the parents that they should feel free to help the child whenever necessary and then secretly rated their behaviors. The researchers then assessed aspects of the child's mental health from talking to both the child and parent.

Source: Washington Post June 27, 2016 13:52 UTC