One of my daughters is like this. It is crippling. She's very good at her job because of it, though. Fear of failure, even when operating at a very high level.
I wonder if it is fear of failure, or fear of being blamed for failing - There might be a nuanced difference about external judgement?
Man did I have to fight the temptation this evening, just before writing this comment, to pour myself a drink. That's my illness.
A problem temptation, or a healthy one?
Definitely a problem temptation. Last night was the first time that I was ever aware of the invisible force that pulls me toward the bottle. I noticed that I was in a trance. I had to snap myself out of it, and just head up to bed, where I slept unusually soundly.
I don't know what it is with my daughter. She has been this way since a very early age. If she is at all unsure about any tiny little thing, she becomes certain she will fail spectacularly. For high school she would do 7 hours of homework every night to make sure she didn't fail, and then score top marks. Every time. Now, she falls apart over stuff like forgetting to use Ms. before a name. The problems seem to be around offending someone. I blame Obama.