I Can't Get No

Something's been irking me and I suppose it wouldn't shock most of you if I said it involved some dysfunctional grammar or misusage of vocabulary. And that's exactly what it involves. There's a trend in contemporary society allowing words to be interchangeable that at times don't even reside in the same stratosphere.

Tonight's begrudging twosome, while somewhat parallel, should actually not be transposable at all. I'm talking about the word 'perfectionism.' And I'm talking about its supposed sister, 'compulsiveness.'

Perfectionism is the idea that flawlessness exists and that within each finite situation, it should be pursued until it comes to fruition. Compulsiveness is the behavioral pattern that fosters perfectionism. If you are compulsive, you are not necessarily a perfectionist. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you crave the repetition more than the end result. Speaking from experience, as a compulsive exerciser, I continue to create new and more difficult regiments to shock my body---knowing full well that I'll never be satisfied with the result. And herein lies the confusion.

What it really comes down to is satisfaction. Deep down, I know that perfection doesn't exist and that even in claiming flawlessness, that notion may, in and of itself, be a flaw. But because a perfectionist believes wholeheartedly in idea that we can all be impeccable and complete, he or she has a sense of fulfillment not only in that idea, but also in whatever the final touches are that get him or her to that point. For a perfectionist, there is always a means to gain that ultimate satisfaction.

With a person compulsive by nature, satisfaction is not only impossible, it's twofold in its obstacle to the psyche of such an individual. Compulsiveness means not only seeking the solution to a problem and then repeating steps to solve it--but more often than not, it means you create a bit of the problem so you always have something to solve. If you're compulsive, then you are chronically dissatisfied. And therein lies the difference.

These words are not identical. Stop using them as synonyms. In fact, if you are using them as synonyms, then you should take a good look in the mirror. Odds are if you're a perfectionist, then you're a bit more of a pragmatist than you'd like to admit. And if you're compulsive, well then you've probably already figured out thirty different ways I could've been a more efficient essayist.

Congratulations. I'm sure you didn't need me to point that out to you.

What with your need for consistency and all.