Zounds! What a topic. :-) Maybe someone do dissertation research on this, also addressing the connected themes of perfectionism & high achievement among (a) leaders in general, from business to community to education to gov't, and (b) hard-core dancers in general. (An alternative thesis: Does the society of callers tend to attract a high proportion of analytical souls?)
I had some off-list exchanges about my post, and one person sent this: "I often think of Sigmund Freud's phrase, 'the narcissism of small differences.'" It may relate to keeping perspective, but in any case I thought it was a quote worth sharing w the larger list. Chrissy Fowler Belfast ME > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 10:51:12 -0700 > From: Joyce Miller joycel...@sbcglobal.net (...) > In any case, I've been wondering for many years if the society of callers > might tend to attract in higher proportion folks who are hard on themselves > (and therefore others), expect perfection, and have been (or want to be) high > achievers. I don't recall ever seeing this topic broached on any callers' > discussion group. > But I know from my own experience how those impulses can lead to a loss of > perspective.