Is Perfectionism Making Sports Toxic?

"If you watched figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov standing proudly on the podium, gold medal in hand, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, you might have thought such an achievement was beyond your abilities-but you'll see it's possible for all of us. Although Shaidorov is a winner, he is, more broadly, a symbol of a system in which self-worth is measured by microscopic margins and severe judgment, in which a lifetime of training is reduced to a few minutes of performance, ranked and evaluated."

"Perfectionism is often seen as a virtue, but there's a difference between healthy striving and maladaptive perfectionism-a pattern driven by fear of failure, external validation, and a sense of independent self-worth. The modern Olympian often trains their body to perfection while psychologically narrowing their sense of self to a single outcome. Hyperfocus, extreme specialisation, and shaving off milliseconds have psychological effects that encourage people to base their identity on achievement."

The Olympics serve as a cultural example where human value becomes equated with measurable outcomes and ranked performance. Perfectionism can split into healthy striving and maladaptive perfectionism driven by fear of failure and external validation. Extreme specialization and hyperfocus encourage individuals to narrow identity to a single outcome and to judge worth by microscopic margins of performance. A balanced view of excellence includes body, mind, and soul rather than reducing achievement to a few minutes that determine value. Developing the ability to value oneself without constant proving, performing, or perfecting supports psychological resilience and holistic flourishing.

Read at Psychology Today