Brophy students are getting caught in a cycle of perfectionism and burnout, fueled by the behavioral phenomenon imposter syndrome.

Brophy teachers such as Mr. Mike Welty, an AP Seminar and AP Research teacher, says that it starts with imposter syndrome (or the feeling that you don’t belong among your peers), fueled by constant comparison. “We draw from over 100 middle schools. And at almost every middle school, the boys we take in were like the best students in their school,” says Mr. Welty, “and then they come here, and they’re surrounded by people who are just like them.” The former best students become average, pushing them to work beyond their limits and deepening the imposter syndrome that drives them.

The reason imposter syndrome takes such a large toll is because when your whole identity is built on being the best, being average makes you feel like you’re a fraud. “A lot of the definition of who they were was defined by all these external accolades for being the best,” says Mr. Welty, “and as soon as they’re in a situation where they’re not, it really causes them to doubt themselves.” This then pushes students to work past their limits trying to prove they still belong.

But this isn’t the only driver; external pressures fuel it. One being parental drive forcing students to live up to unrealistic standards, and it has been getting increasingly worse over the past 5 years. Mr. Jack White, an honors and AP science teacher, says he now gets constant emails from parents concerning their son’s grade even though that should be a conversation between him and the student. Beyond the home, another consistent push is the pressure to get into a good college or have the most rigorous schedule. “A lot of the motivation is, and I see it, is to try to get to a good college and colleges request certain GPA and certain scores in certain classes. ” Said Fr. Juan Pablo Marrufo del Toro, the school chaplain and physics teacher at Brophy. 

But the antidote for perfectionism is reframing your idea of success. Brophy’s mission is human flourishing and accepting who you are, not being perfect. Fr. Del Toro says, “We learn by mistakes. We learn by trial and error.”

Perfection will always be unachievable, but it’s worth pursuing, as long as you know your limits.

This article was created by student journalists, with limited use of generative AI  in accordance with our generative AI policy under editorial supervision.