autoexigencia

Autoexigencia is a psychological and behavioral tendency to impose very high, often rigid, standards on oneself and to judge one's worth by the degree of achievement or flawlessness reached. In many contexts, it describes the internal pressure to perform at peak levels and to view mistakes as personal failings rather than as part of the learning process.

Common features include rigid all-or-nothing thinking, persistent self-criticism, rumination about past performance, fear of failure, and a reluctance to engage in tasks unless the outcome can be guaranteed to meet the standard. While it can drive diligence and persistence, autoexigencia frequently operates as a form of maladaptive perfectionism.

Autoexigencia is related to perfectionism but is not uniformly negative. It may be adaptive when it motivates high-quality work and resilience, yet it becomes maladaptive when it erodes well-being, increases anxiety, and contributes to burnout. It can impair decision-making, creativity, and motivation if the individual ties self-worth too closely to achievement.

Causes are multifactorial, including personality traits, family or cultural expectations, early feedback about success and failure, and social environments that reward exceptional performance. Management approaches emphasize cognitive-behavioral strategies to challenge rigid beliefs, setting realistic and flexible goals, cultivating self-compassion, reframing mistakes as learning opportunities, and seeking support from mentors or professionals. The concept is used in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking contexts to describe this self-imposed demand mindset.