In Stephen R. Donaldson’s “Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” (an excellent read and a profound moral drama, of which everything from setting to characters partakes, by the way) there are a race of people called the Haruchai. Residing in a harsh mountain range, they were extraordinarily hardy and excellent fighters, prone to viewing the world in absolutes.

They moved to make war on the Lords, rulers of the Land, not out of hatred, but a desire to assess their own worth in battle. When they finally met the Lords, however, they were so profoundly moved by the Lords’ dedication to beauty, kindness, and restoration that rather than fighting, they swore a Vow to protect the Lords that endured for millennia. The 500 Haruchai assigned to this task became known as the Bloodguard.

The Bloodguard tended to view their duty to protect the Lords even more absolutely than Haruchai in general viewed duty, leading Thomas Covenant, the main character of the series, to berate them for their fidelity and for the intensity of their convictions.

What I call “the Bloodguard effect” seems to be a psychological phenomenon: when one applies a set of rigid standards to one’s personal or professional life, others will come to view that set of standards as a judgment upon them for their own comparatively weak standards – and one not in their favor. Therefore, the others perceive these inflexible standards as a threat and attempt to undermine them in some way, usually by assuming that their weaker standards are universal and that it is somehow improper to hold stronger ones. Of course, without a reasoned and persuasive argument, such efforts are bound to fail, which brings further resentment, as the perfectionists are seen clinging to a set of contrary beliefs.