If done properly, yes, says a recent BBC article, "Is It Good for People to Fail?" The piece is part of a larger project, "The Value of Failure," and contains personal reflections on what failure has taught five people from different walks of life.

"You're not born with fear of failure, it's not an instinct, it's something that grows and develops in you as you get older. Very young children have no fear of failure at all," said Heather Hanbury, headmistress of Wimbledon High School. The school recently held a "failure week" in order to "to teach its pupils how to become more resilient and learn from their mistakes."

"This [perfectionism] is not only a danger at home, but it happens in school at a very young age as well. So as the girls get older, they recognize that the way to keep adults happy is to get things right, and getting things right means avoiding failure at all costs."

Hanbury stresses the role of failure in teaching student: "Our focus here is on failing well, on being good at ...