What is perfectionism, to you?

[rkts]

In this thread, we were discussing why I do not like TV or movies, and I said that

I’m a creative person, and I only tend to observe others’ creations if those creations can impress or astound me. In general, I suppose, I don’t have a very strong notion of “entertainment.”

jsgoddess responded:

Reading that you have contempt for TV and movies and that you’re creative but you don’t seem to value other people’s creativity makes me think this isn’t really a TV or movie thing.

Are you a perfectionist?

I said that I was, and that I was surprised she could deduce this from what I said. I asked her to explain, and she did:

I guess I can relate, in some ways, so I projected.

I can be a perfectionist about some very specific things, and I sound like you sounded when I talk about them. I get impatient with anything that isn’t breathtaking. I’d rather just do it myself.

Anaamika agreed:

Uh, heh, I guessed it myself and didn’t say anything. What led me to think so? Not really sure, except I have met other perfectionists and they had the same mindset.

This roused my curiosity, because it does not agree with my notion of perfectionism. To me, a perfectionist is someone who dwells unnecessarily on small things; for instance, someone who proofreads everything they write a dozen times even if it is completely inconsequential and only a few others will read it. It would never have occurred to me that what I call my perfectionism is related to my inability to enjoy any art that is not sufficient to amaze or astound me. But it makes sense to me that these things may be part of some more general principle, some greater part of my personality of which I have hitherto been ignorant.

So, if asked to define perfectionism, or to list the qualities you associate with it, what would you say?