Perfectionism and the Five-Factor Model of Personality

Abstract

In this study of the discriminant, convergent, and incremental validity of the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R), university students completed the APS-R, additional measures of perfectionism, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-Form S, and measures of self-esteem and depression. The results revealed expected significant, but not completely overlapping, associations between the APS-R Discrepancy subscale scores and the Five-Factor Model of Personality (FFM) dimension of Neuroticism, and between the APS-R High Standards and Order subscales and the FFM dimension of Conscientiousness. The incremental validity of APS-R scores over FFM dimensions was supported in analyses of self-esteem but not depression. The implications of these findings for further psychometric and clinical studies of perfectionism and facets of FFM dimensions are discussed.

How Other-Oriented Perfectionism Differs from Self-Oriented and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism

“…When measured with the MPS, other-oriented perfectionism showed a unique negative relationship with agreeableness corroborating previous findings that people high in other-oriented perfectionism show lower agreeableness (or higher social antagonism) than people low in other-oriented perfectionism, and that this is a unique characteristic of other-oriented perfectionism (e.g., Hill et al, 1997;Rice et al, 2007). When measured with the 1990 scale, other-oriented perfectionism showed a small negative correlation with agreeableness, but this relationship became nonsignificant in the multiple regressions when the overlap with the other forms of perfectionism was controlled for.…”

“…Furthermore, the present study found that other-oriented perfectionism showed no positive relationships with conscientiousness once the overlap with the other forms of perfectionism was controlled for. Therefore, other-oriented perfectionism should also not be considered part of "conscientious perfectionism" as Hill et al HOW OTHER-ORIENTED PERFECTIONISM DIFFERS 10 (2004) suggested based on the results of their factor analyses combining other-oriented perfectionism with aspects of perfectionism that are closely linked to conscientiousness such as self-oriented perfectionism and perfectionist personal standards Rice et al, 2007). Instead, other-oriented perfectionism appears to be an ambivalent form of perfectionism associated with high self-regard but low regard for others.…”

“…The reason for including the dark triad in the present study was that, in previous studies investigating how the three forms of perfectionism were related to the Big Five model of personality (see John & Srivastava, 1999, for a review), other-oriented perfectionism showed significant negative correlations with agreeableness that were not shared by self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism (e.g., Hill, McIntire, & Bacharach, 1997;Rice, Ashby, & Slaney, 2007). Like other-oriented perfectionism, all three traits of the dark triad have shown significant negative correlations with agreeableness (e.g., Jacobwitz & Egan, 2006;Jonason & McCain, 2012).…”

“…In addition, the HEXACO model comprises a further interpersonal trait called "altruism" that Lee and Ashton (2006) regard as an interstitial facet (because it loads across the dimensions of honesty-humility, agreeableness, and emotionality) which may constitute another personality characteristic that could differentiate other-oriented perfectionism from other forms of perfectionism. Whereas there have been a number of studies investigating how the three forms of perfectionism of Hewitt and Flett's model relate to the dimensions of the Big Five model (e.g., Hill et al, 1997;Rice et al, 2007), no study so far has investigated how the three relate to the personality dimensions of the HEXACO model and altruism. Hence, the present study aimed to provide a first investigation of whether other-oriented perfectionism would show unique correlations with the HEXACO model's interpersonal traits not included in the Big Five model: honesty-humility and altruism.…”

Perfectionism and attitudes towards doping in junior athletes

“…Still, the finding is in line with previous findings indicating that perfectionistic strivings in sport are mostly adaptive when the overlap with perfectionistic concerns is controlled for (Gotwals, Stoeber, Dunn, & Stoll, 2012;Stoeber, 2011). Moreover, perfectionistic strivings are closely related to the personality trait of conscientiousness (Rice, Ashby, & Slaney, 2007). Consequently, the finding is also in line with previous findings indicating that conscientiousness is a protective factor against doping (Petróczi & Aidman, 2008).…”