RESEARCH_FILE
Concern Over Mistakes
Concern over mistakes is one of six facets in Frost et al.'s Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and the dimension most consistently linked to negative affect, depression, and anxiety. It captures the tendency to interpret errors as evidence of personal failure and to anticipate harsh judgment — from self and others — whenever performance falls short. Research distinguishes this from high personal standards, which do not reliably predict distress when the concern-over-mistakes component is absent.
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“I should have done it better”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“A standard that moves when I'm winning isn't a standard—it's a way to stay stuck.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Finish something small in the next hour—an email, a sketch, a list—and send or share it without checking it again. Notice what you're suddenly aware of after you've already let it go.
How it sounds in your head
The inner script: 'I made one mistake in that presentation — they all saw it, they'll remember it, it defines what I'm worth.' The research distinguishes this reaction from learning from errors: the concern-over-mistakes facet links the error to identity, not just to performance, which is what drives the outsized emotional response.