Editing Overachievement (section)

==In educational settings==

===Primary and secondary school===
In an educational context, "overachiever" is defined as "a student who attains higher standards than the IQ indicated."<ref>"Overachiever" in WordNet 3.0on. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.</ref> Overachievers are generally contrasted with [[underachiever]]s, who perform less well than the instructor thinks they should given their intelligence. An Encyclopedia of Psychology notes that “[g]enerally, these terms are not used by either educators or psychologists.”<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/field-psychology-how-an-overachiever-defined-what-467198|title=In the field of psychology, how is an "overachiever" defined? What psychological obstacles might overachievers face?|website=eNotes|access-date=2023-05-05|archive-date=2023-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505143856/https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/field-psychology-how-an-overachiever-defined-what-467198|url-status=dead}}</ref> While the concept of over- and [[Underachiever|underachievers]] has wide acceptance among practicing teachers, it remains a controversial topic on several points:
* Both are labels which implicitly affect teacher behavior.  This frequently leads the labels to become [[Self-fulfilling prophecy|self-fulfilling prophecies]].
* The labels are based on a static and incomplete understanding of the nature of intelligence.  The ability to concentrate and to work in a dedicated manner cannot be separated from a person's "native" or "raw" intelligence in any meaningfully testable way.

A 2007 book about overachievement describes the "cult of overachieving that is prevalent in many middle- and upper-class schools", in which "students are obsessed with success, contending with illness, physical deterioration."<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Overachievers-Secret-Lives-Driven-Kids/dp/1401302017 Review of ''The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids'' in Publishers Weekly]</ref> "When teenagers inevitably look at themselves through the prism of our overachiever culture," the author writes, "they often come to the conclusion that no matter how much they achieve, it will never be enough.""<ref>Alexandra Robbins. ''The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids''. Hyperion Books, 2007</ref>

This may also lead to a [[Perfectionism (psychology)|perfectionist]] mentality. Perfectionism is a personality trait that means a person who is constantly striving for perfection and approval of others and themselves. <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stoeber |first1=Joachim |last2=Childs |first2=Julian H. |date=2010-10-19 |title=The Assessment of Self-Oriented and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism: Subscales Make a Difference |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00223891.2010.513306 |journal=Journal of Personality Assessment |language=en |volume=92 |issue=6 |pages=577–585 |doi=10.1080/00223891.2010.513306 |pmid=20954059 |s2cid=1241506 |issn=0022-3891|url-access=subscription }}</ref> while it can be a healthy way of motivating oneself, it typically turns into an intense desire to not only succeed, but to specifically not fail.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Perfectionism {{!}} Psychology Today |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/perfectionism |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Perfectionists tend to tie their self-worth to their success,<ref name=":2" /> which leads to them overachieving in different aspects of their lives so that they are not rejected.

===Colleges and universities===
For college and university students, "there is a fine line between being a high achiever and an overachiever." In the US, "an increasing number of college students are literally making themselves sick in the pursuit of perfection", by setting "self-imposed but unrealistically high standards." According to Dr. Modupe Akin-Deko, senior psychologist at [[Buffalo State College]]'s counseling center, "… maladaptive perfectionists set themselves up for failure by setting impossible standards for themselves, thus lowering their self esteem when they never reach their goals."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maria Pascucci. "In pursuit of perfection-Students who are overachievers may pay a high psychological price". ''The Buffalo News'' |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/in-pursuit-of-perfection-students-who-are-overacheivers-may-pay-a-high-psychological-price/article_c5e10a27-35e6-5cc5-91bc-c8a15a4ef295.html |website=buffalonews.com|date=23 May 2004 }}</ref> Clinical psychologist Marilyn Sorenson, in her book ''Breaking the Chain of Low Self-Esteem'', maintains that people with low self-esteem often find themselves driven to overachieve to build self-worth.<ref name=":3" />