Social and motivational causation of personal perfectionism and laziness in professional activity

Some basic components of perfectionism and laziness are considered in terms of activity structure in A.N. Leontiev’s and S.L. Rubinstein’s personality theories. A contrastive analysis of the terms ‘perfectionism’ and ‘laziness’ is presented as a result of a survey. It was revealed that perfectionism and laziness are perceived by students as acquired personality traits; the first concept - as a relatively stable teleological property of a person, and the second - as an iterative-dispositive one. It is concluded that the correction of perfectionism and laziness in their negative forms is necessary through the consideration of employees’ socially relevant performance in professional activity and their personal motives.