What is the difference between neurotic perfectionism and narcissistic perfectionism?

Answer 1

Neurotic perfectionism can be linked to anxiety disorders such as the Obessive-Complusive Disorder (OCD). When something is just not "there" a person will obessive about which they feel relieved by the complusion to accurately get "there". Examples can include the washing hands a certain amount of times in order to feel clean and say if it is not done 5 times then the person doesn't feel clean and anxiety level will increase for the person wants clean hands. Therapy and a combination of medication has shown to decrease symptoms.

Narcissistic perfectionism stems from the basis of personality disorder and is hard to treat in therapy and/or medication because the narcisstic person rarely seeks help for they believe that they don't have problem(s). The perfectionism here is an illusion that the Narcisisstic creates and in order to protect them from revealing their true self they project this unwanted desire and need for perfectionsim onto others or to their narcisisstic supply. When perfection has not been met in the narcasisstic's eyes then they can let loose their rage which could lead to violence. When a person suffering from OCD perfectionism has not satisfied their unhealthy need for perfectionism then forms of anxiety may appear physically like difficulty breathing to panic attacks but rarely a rage and rarely directed toward a person.