Why is it that people want to be perfect? even though there not?

Megan, I think people would like it to be that they never screw up, as most feel embarrassed when they make a mistake. So they shoot for perfection.  Me - I know that I'm going to screw up. Everyone does. I just try not to make the same mistake twice. 

I have found that sometimes when people want or yearn to be perfect they usually have control issues, are hard on themselves, and have been disappointed in life by someone important. Separately these issues are not as big of a deal, together they can make for a difficult combination.

I do try to be right, but I've given up on trying to be perfect (and apparently I gave up on that much earlier than I remember---or so my loving but honest wife informs me).

I settled on concentrating on being "precise"---I try to make what I say easy to understand so that it is easy to agree or disagree with me.

I don't think most people do want to be perfect.  I think teens probably feel they need to be more "perfect" than mature, more secure adults do.  Hopefully, they will learn that no one is perfect and it's OK to make mistakes .. And learn from them. 

I'd like to be perfect, but actually I'm Ray Dart which makes that a bit superfluous.

I don't want to be perfect, I want to be RayDartified.

When i was a mechanic if u did not do the job right and the customer brought it back you got to fix it for free. So doing it right the first time was the only way

I never WANTED to be perfect. It's just the way I am.  It's the cross I have to bear.

I think perfection is something the youth aspire for. With age comes wisdom, andin that wisdom most people learn there really is no perfection. What I might consider perfect the next person may not. What people do need to strive for is to be the best they themselves can be, without being concerned what others think.