“有完美主义情结”用英文怎么说？

（图片来自网络）

“情结”一词属心理学表述，有点执着于某物的含义。如果是执着，我们容易联想到的是obsess(v)，obsession(n)这些词，但今天要讨论的另外一个词。

先来看一个例句：

Most nonfiction writers have a definitiveness complex. They feel that they are under some obligation—to the subject, to their honor, to the gods of writing—to make their article the last word. （选自On Writing Well）

大部分非虚构作品的作者有种确定性（权威性）情节，他们认为他们有义务使他们的文章成为定论，无论是为了所选的主题，为了他们的荣誉，还是为了写作本身。

这里我们注意到了有个表达“have a … complex”，即“有着……的情结”。

当然，大家对complex最熟悉的意思是“复杂的”（名词为complexity），其次可能是“建筑群”（如residential complex表示住宅区），但这里显然都不是。

首先看一下朗文词典对complex的解释:

an emotional problem in which someone is unnecessarily anxious about something or thinks too much about something

它是一种情绪问题，即人们对某事物有着不必要的焦虑或思考过多。

从problem, unnecessarily, anxious, too much可以看出，它其实有“负面”含义的。

不知大家身边有没有这样一些人，他们热衷插手别人的事情，充当“救世主”的角色。这样的人具有的是a savior complex（救世主情结）。来看一段相关描述：

Are you cursed with an incessant need to save or fix those around you? A savior complex, or white knight syndrome, is a personality construct that, at first glance, appears to be purely motivated by the urge to help. In truth, a savior complex is unhealthy and can often give a person an outlet to focus on so that they don’t address their own problems. If you suffer from a savior complex, you can be cured. Get rid of your need to rescue others by changing how you relate to others, focusing on your own needs, and looking for the root of your compulsive helping. (本段文字来自网络)

其中第二句和第三句提到：救世主情结，或被称为白色骑士综合症，这种个性特点乍一看是有着纯粹助人的动机，但事实上，这种情结是不健康的，通常使人聚焦于外部，从而不去解决自身的问题。

所以，这进一步说明了complex是个偏负向的词，至少不是正向的（不能说出I like his savior complex类似的句子）（其实通过英文解释和例句去学词汇也是我们掌握写作词汇的要点，可以确保我们把词用对场景）

再给一个例句

Throughout his boyhood, he was troubled by an inferiority complex.

在他整个少年时期，他都受到“自卑情结”的困扰。

其他类似的词组还有

superiority complex 优越情结

Oedipus complex 俄狄浦斯情结（恋母情结）

persecution complex 被害情结

那么有无更灵活的表达呢？

其实我们还可以说have a complex about …

如

The girl used to have a complex about her looks.

可以翻译成“对外貌过分在意”。

这里也可以用obsess, obsession来替换

The girl used to be obsessed withher looks.

The girl used to have an obsession withher looks.

现在回到标题，“有完美主义情结”怎么说？

很简单，have a perfection complex。

但在写文章中，建议大家用了这样的表达后至少再加一句拓展，才能更清晰地表达含义。例如

I used to have a perfection complex. Without full preparations, I never dared to embark on a new task, which was the major cause for my chronic procrastination. Now I have realized no one can reach perfection, but we can be persistently on the road to perfection.

前几天刚好也在网上看到一篇描述perfection complex的文章，现在跟大家分享几句：

The true meaning of perfectionism is the refusal of anything short of perfection.

完美主义的本质是拒绝接受一切不完美的事物。

Driven people will understand that they tried their best, but they are not perfect, so they will use the failure as a chance for growth. A perfectionist hitches his or her idea of self-worth on success, so in the case that they do not achieve perfection, they take it out on themselves.

有驱动力的人明白他们已尽力，但他们不是完美的，所以每一次失败只是他们用来成长的机会，而完美主义者把他们的自我价值与成功挂钩，所以，一旦达不到，他们就对自己不满。

看完这段，你明白你是一个driven person还是perfectionist了吗？

好了，讲了这么多的complex，该你们来写写了。写一句自己曾经有或现在有的一种complex，请使用“have a/an … complex”或“have a complex about …”的句型，后面再加一个拓展句。有兴趣的话，就留言吧。