Beginning the Journey

The premise presented here is that, while the ideologies and methods employed by these leaders reflect the concept of perfectionism, it is the learned behavior of their perfectionist personalities that lead them along the paths they took. The evidence shown here suggests that we may be born with the ability to conceive of perfectionism but that perfectionists are made, not born. Steven Hendlin points out in When Good Enough is Never Enough, "Our culture . . . encourages perfectionism" and in their search for perfection there are those who are "unable to control the direction their strivings take them . . ." In spite of several background differences, John Humphrey Noyes, Jim Jones and Vernon Howell all exhibit perfectionist tendencies early in their lives. Perfectionism is a destination, one that can never be reached. By looking at the personal lives of these three men we can witness their journey to nowhere.