The Role of Personal Standards in Clinically Significant Perfectionism. A Person-Oriented Approach to the Study of Patterns of Perfectionism

Abstract

Clinically significant perfectionism is defined as patterns of perfectionism which are over-represented in clinical samples and under-represented in non-clinical samples. The present study contrasted two hypotheses about what characterizes clinically significant perfectionism: the two-factor theory and perfectionism/acceptance theory. First, a person-oriented approach by means of cluster analysis was used to identify typical patterns of perfectionism. These clusters were then cross-tabulated with two clinical samples (patients with social phobia and patients with panic disorder) and a non-clinical sample. The results showed that patterns of clinically significant perfectionism combined high Concern over Mistakes (CM) and Doubts about Action (DA) with high Personal Standards (PS) (and to a lesser extent also high Organization)--which is consistent with perfectionism/acceptance theory, but at odds with the twofactor theory. The results illustrate the value of a person-oriented methodological approach as a complement to the traditional variable-oriented approach.

Perfectionism, Fear of Failure, and Affective Responses to Success and Failure: The Central Role of Fear of Experiencing Shame and Embarrassment

“…Not only did personal standards predict less fear of experiencing shame and embarrassment, they also predicted more positive affect after failure. As such, it is important to distinguish between perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns and to recognize that the former can be adaptive and healthy only when athletes accept their imperfections (i.e., failures, mistakes, shortcomings; Lundh, Saboonchi, & Wångby, 2008). Conversely, perfectionistic strivings can be unhealthy and maladaptive when athletes "turn striving for perfection into a demand for perfection" and are unable to accept imperfection (Lundh et al, 2008, p. 255), and when their self-worth is contingent on achieving perfection (DiBartolo, Frost, Chang, LaSota, & Grills, 2004;Dunkley, Zuroff, & Blankstein, 2006).…”

Perfectionism and achievement goals in young Finnish ice-hockey players aspiring to make the Under-16 national team

“…In our view, there are three approaches from theory and research in clinical psychology that seem promising in this regard, and that could readily be adopted in to the sporting context. The first approach is based on perfectionism/acceptance theory (Lundh, 2004) which holds that perfectionistic strivings are adaptive when combined with the acceptance of imperfections (i.e., failures, mistakes, shortcomings) (Lundh et al, 2008). According to Lundh (2004), perfectionistic strivings are not unhealthy or dysfunctional as such.…”

An empirical typology of perfectionism in early-to-mid adolescents and its relation with eating disorder symptoms

“…Subsequent studies yielded further evidence for the existence of these three perfectionism profiles (e.g., see Rice & Ashby, 2007 for an overview), although at least some studies found evidence for more than three clusters (e.g., Lundh, Saboonchi, & Wangby, 2008). Further, these studies showed that the clusters had distinct profiles in terms of different outcome variables, such as depression, self-esteem, anxiety, and positive affect (Rice & Ashby, 2007).…”