Trying to Be Perfect in an Imperfect World: Examining the Role of Perfectionism in the Context of Chronic Illness

Is Perfectionism Always Dysfunctional? Looking into Its Interaction with Activity Patterns in Women with Fibromyalgia

“…In the context of chronic pain, women with FM show extreme forms of perfectionism, frequently related to an overactive lifestyle, and studies have shown that perfectionism hinders the ability to cope with the illness in these patients ) (Sirois et al, 2019). From this perspective, The Stress and Coping Cyclical Amplification Model of Perfectionism in Illness (SCCAMPI; Molnar et al, 2016) proposes that in the context of living with a stressful chronic health condition, perfectionism increases vulnerability to adjustment. The SCCAMPI proposes that dealing with the limitations in functioning, fatigue, and pain often associated with chronic health conditions, can be particularly challenging for perfectionists because of their heightened responses to stress and maladaptive coping.…”

“…Results have shown that perfectionism has a curvilinear relationship with health functioning, with the highest and lowest levels showing the poorest functioning. This would suggest that, in the same way as activity patterns, perfectionism is neither healthy nor unhealthy per se, and highlights the need to have explanatory models from the perspective of the flexibility model of pain (Molnar et al, 2016). Living with chronic illness requires a renegotiating of one's goals so that they are more realistic.…”

A multidimensional approach to perfectionism and self-compassion

“…For example, Boone and Soenens (2015) found that for individuals high in body dissatisfaction, PS led to increased eating disorder symptomology, with Shafran, Cooper and Fairburn (2002) arguing that individuals within clinical populations may be more likely to exhibit "clinically relevant perfectionism" (p.778), in which they invest their self-worth almost obsessively in a domain that has high personal salience, such as the pursuit of thinness for individuals with some eating disorders. Molnar, Sirois and Method-Jones (2016) further argue that all forms of perfectionism can also be problematic for individuals living with long-term physical conditions. They contend that aspects of living with chronic illness, such as low levels of perceived control, the propensity for negative self-evaluation, and increased reliance on social support, can be particularly problematic for individuals who are high in either dimension of perfectionism, subsequently leading to poorer adjustment to illness and an exacerbation of illness symptoms.…”

The Psychology of Perfectionism

“…Molnar, Sirois, and Methot-Jones (2016), for example, have proposed a theoretical model in which perfectionism contributes to poor adjustment and adverse health outcomes in the context of chronic illness via both intrapsychic (i.e., perceived control and self-evaluative tendencies) and interpersonal processes (i.e., selfChapter 7 (Molnar et al) -8 concealment and social support) through the amplification of stress and maladaptive coping processes. Indeed, the picture that emerges from the research described below is that perfectionism appears to amplify stress and maladaptive responses, which, in turn, complicates adjustment to illness.…”