Running head: ANALYSIS PAPER 1
Analysis Paper
Our Dangerous Obsession With Perfectionism
Samuel Henen
Ivy Tech Community Collage
ANALYSIS PAPER 2
Perfectionism- A standard we all as humans thrive to become or at least try to attain. As I sit here looking for the perfect speech to write about this paper, I am inspired by Thomas Curren’s TEDTALK titled “Our Dangerous Obsession with Perfectionism”
From the start, Curren reveals the normal perspective of perfectionism being a strength that we often pull in interviews to get a job, or to give a strong first impression to the girl of our dream. He furthers his point by challenging the audience to attempt to question the concept of perfectionism. “Our begrudging admiration for perfection is so pervasive that we never really stop to question that concept in its own terms” (Thomas Curran, TEDTalk, 2018).
Curran grabs the attention of his audience showing the irony and the contrary truth of perfectionism. “We tend to hold perfectionism up as an insignia of worth. The emblem of the successful. Yet, in my time studying perfectionism, I have seen limited evidence that perfectionists are more successful. Quite the contrary- they feel disconnected and dissatisfied” (Thomas Curran, TEDTalk, 2018).
Curran gives an alarming statistical point reporting that in the last 25 years, there has been a high rate of perfectionism correlating it to the high rate of mental illness among young individuals. At this point in the speech, it is predicted that his audience are filled with questions regarding the evidence behind his shocking statements. Therefore, currant introduces the research that has been conducted to prove his message. “Our research is suggesting that
ANALYSIS PAPER 3
perfectionism is rising as society is changing. Young people today are more preoccupied with the attainment of the perfect life and lifestyle. In terms of their image, status and wealth. Data from Pew show that young people borrow more heavily than did older generations, and they spend a much greater proportion of their income on image goods and status possessions”(Thomas Curran, TEDTalk, 2018).
Curran’s speech starts to transform from perfectionism being a problem to perfectionism being a social epidemic. He draws attention to the reflection of his argument seen over social media content and called it “the visual culture that replaced our reality” (Thomas Curr...
