Plight of the Pseudo-perfectionist

In a conversation today I became defensive when a friend criticized the interview skills of an athlete that appeared on a talk show. The athlete in question and the show they appeared wasn't my cause of concern. Rather the fact that the capabilities of the interviewee in question mirrored my own. The comments my friend made seemed personal because of that fact. I realize I tend to be sensitive, not only to things that relate to me but also to things that relate to others that I can empathize with. Oddly enough though, had I been said interviewee I probably would have criticized myself for the same mistakes my friend pointed out. This brings me to my point: I see myself in others and therefore see mutual shortcomings as human or natural for them but unacceptable for me. It's almost as if the world has a right to be less than perfect but I don't. I have an insatiable appetite for perfection even though I know I'll never achieve it.