Tracey D. Wade Books
Wade are clinical psychologists and researchers specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy and eating disorders.
Known for: Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Books by Tracey D. Wade
Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Perfectionism is often praised as ambition in disguise, but this book shows how easily it can become a trap. In Overcoming Perfectionism, clinical psychologists Roz Shafran, Sarah Egan, and Tracey D. Wade explain that perfectionism is not simply wanting to do well. It is a rigid system of self-worth built around meeting demanding standards, avoiding mistakes, and constantly proving oneself. The result is often anxiety, procrastination, self-criticism, burnout, and a life that feels driven by fear rather than purpose. What makes this guide especially valuable is its grounding in cognitive behavioral therapy and scientific research. The authors do not offer vague encouragement or motivational slogans. Instead, they provide a structured, evidence-based program for identifying perfectionistic thinking, testing it, and replacing it with more flexible and sustainable habits. Their expertise in CBT, anxiety, and eating disorders gives the book both clinical authority and practical depth. For readers who feel exhausted by impossible standards or stuck in cycles of overwork and disappointment, this is a compassionate and highly usable roadmap toward healthier striving.
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Perfectionism Follows a Predictable CBT Cycle
What looks like high standards from the outside often feels like constant threat on the inside. One of the book’s central insights is that clinical perfectionism is not just a personality trait; it is a self-reinforcing cognitive-behavioral system. People attach excessive importance to achievement, ...
From Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Hidden Rules Shape Your Self-Worth
Perfectionism becomes powerful when its rules operate silently. The book emphasizes that before you can change perfectionism, you must identify the personal standards and assumptions that govern your behavior. These rules often sound reasonable on the surface: “I should always be productive,” “Mista...
From Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Challenge Thoughts, Don’t Obey Them
Perfectionistic thoughts often feel urgent, moral, and undeniable, which is exactly why they need to be questioned. A core CBT principle in the book is that thoughts are not commands and not always accurate reflections of reality. Perfectionistic thinking tends to include all-or-nothing judgments, c...
From Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Balanced Standards Beat Impossible Ideals
There is a crucial difference between excellence and perfection, and the book insists that confusing the two creates suffering. Healthy striving is flexible, values-driven, and responsive to context. Perfectionism is rigid, fear-driven, and disconnected from reality. The authors do not tell readers ...
From Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Behavioral Experiments Break the Fear
Perfectionism survives because people rarely test their fears fairly. They assume that if they loosen their standards, performance will collapse, others will judge them, or they will become lazy. The book uses behavioral experiments to challenge these assumptions in the real world. This is one of it...
From Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
Self-Compassion Weakens Harsh Inner Criticism
Many perfectionistic people believe self-criticism is the engine of success, but the book argues that it is more often a source of paralysis, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. Harsh self-talk may feel motivating in the short term, yet it creates fear of mistakes and makes every challenge feel like ...
From Overcoming Perfectionism: A Self-Help Guide Using Scientifically Supported Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
About Tracey D. Wade
Wade are clinical psychologists and researchers specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy and eating disorders.
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Wade are clinical psychologists and researchers specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy and eating disorders.
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