Overachievement

In a teaching context, an "overachiever" is an educational label applied to students, who perform better than their peers when normalized for the instructor's perceptions of background, intelligence or talent.

An Encyclopedia of Psychology notes that “[g]enerally, these terms are not used by either educators or psychologists.”[3] While the concept of over- and underachievers has wide acceptance among practicing teachers, it remains a controversial topic on several points: A 2007 book about overachievement describes the "cult of overachieving that is prevalent in many middle- and upper-class schools", in which "students are obsessed with success, contending with illness, physical deterioration.

In the US, "an increasing number of college students are literally making themselves sick in the pursuit of perfection", by setting "self-imposed but unrealistically high standards."

[11] According to "Dr. Richard Rawson, associate director of UCLA's Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, [methamphetamine] … is popular with workers in overachieving, highly productive economies such as those in Japan and South Korea.

"[12] According to psychologist Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, there is a "curse of the capable," which is "a complex web of emotions that drives people to hide their genuine needs behind a mask of over-achievement."

He says that "compulsive overachieving can stimulate production of dopamine"; however these "temporary "lifts" will pass, triggering a spiraling non-fulfilling cycle of achievement and disappointment."

He claims that "the drive for status to overcome psychological wounds generally leads to other problems such as poor nutrition, weight gain, excessive reliance on caffeine, alcohol or other harmful substances and sleep deprivation.