... Frost, RO, Marten, P., Lahart, C. Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cog... more ... Frost, RO, Marten, P., Lahart, C. Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14, 449468. ... Hewitt, PL Flett, GL (1991b). Dimensions of perfectionism in clinical depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 98101. ...
Clinical evidence suggests that components of perfectionism may have special relevance to social ... more Clinical evidence suggests that components of perfectionism may have special relevance to social phobia. This study examines this relationship by comparing 61 patients with social phobia and 39 community volunteers with no anxiety disorder on Frost, Marten, Lahart and Rosenblate's (1990) Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS). Social phobia patients scored higher on subscales assessing concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and perceived parental criticism. Community volunteers scored higher on the organization subscale. It was further hypothesized that, for the social phobia patients, perfectionism would be associated with greater symptom severity. Correlational analysis confirmed that the Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions subscales of the MPS were consistently associated with greater social anxiety, trait anxiety, and general psychopathology. Implications for the treatment of social phobia patients are considered.
The major theme in theorizing about the development of perfectionism is that it is a product of p... more The major theme in theorizing about the development of perfectionism is that it is a product of perfectionistic and demanding parents. The two studies reported here represent the first attempt to test this assumption. In study 1, perfectionism was measured in both daughters and their parents. In study 2, perfectionism in both daughters and their parents, related parental characteristics, and levels of psychopathology among daughters were measured. The findings from both studies indicated that mothers' perfectionism, but not fathers', was associated with perfectionism among daughters. In addition, daughters' ratings of fathers' harshness, but not fathers' self-reported harshness, were associated with daughters" perfectionism. For mothers, daughters' ratings of mothers" harshness and mothers' self-reported harshness were associated with perfectionism among daughters. A combination of mothers' Overall Perfectionism and mothers' self-reported harshness accounted for 30% of the variance in daughters' Overall Perfectionism. Additional findings suggested that mothers' perfectionism was associated with greater symptoms of psychopathology among daughters, while fathers' perfectionism was associated with lower levels of symptomatology.
Perfectionism is a major diagnostic criterion for one DSM-III diagnosis, and it has been hypothes... more Perfectionism is a major diagnostic criterion for one DSM-III diagnosis, and it has been hypothesized to play a major role in a wide variety of psychopathologies. Yet there is no precise definition of and there is a paucity of research on, this construct. Based on what has been theorized about perfectionism, a multidimensional measure was developed and several hypotheses regarding the nature of perfectionism were tested in four separate studies. The major dimension of this measure was excessive concern over making mistakes. Five other dimensions were identified, including high personal standards, the perception of high parental expectations, the perception of high parental criticism, the doubting of the quality of one's actions, and a preference for order and organization. Perfectionism and certain of its subscales were correlated with a wide variety of psychopathological symptoms. There was also an association between perfectionism and procrastination. Several subscales of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), personal standards and organization, were associated with positive achievement striving and work habits. The MPS was highly correlated with one of the existing measures of perfectionism. Two other existing measures were only moderately correlated with the MPS and with each other. Future studies of perfectionism should take into account the multidimensional nature of the construct.
Perfectionis~ the tendency to set high standards and to evaluate oneself in an overly critical fa... more Perfectionis~ the tendency to set high standards and to evaluate oneself in an overly critical fashion, has been hypothesized to be associated with a host of psychological problems, yet little research has been done on it. 7his study examined the role of perfectionism in cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to an evaluated writing tasl~ Compared to nonperfectionists, perfectionists assigned the task greater importance at the outset, reported higher levels of negative affect when the evaluative component of the task was emphasized, and, following the task, were more likely to report that they should have done better. Moreover, their work was judged to be lower in quality. Further research on perfectionism and task performance is warranted.
... Frost, RO, Marten, P., Lahart, C. Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cog... more ... Frost, RO, Marten, P., Lahart, C. Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14, 449468. ... Hewitt, PL Flett, GL (1991b). Dimensions of perfectionism in clinical depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 98101. ...
Clinical evidence suggests that components of perfectionism may have special relevance to social ... more Clinical evidence suggests that components of perfectionism may have special relevance to social phobia. This study examines this relationship by comparing 61 patients with social phobia and 39 community volunteers with no anxiety disorder on Frost, Marten, Lahart and Rosenblate's (1990) Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS). Social phobia patients scored higher on subscales assessing concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and perceived parental criticism. Community volunteers scored higher on the organization subscale. It was further hypothesized that, for the social phobia patients, perfectionism would be associated with greater symptom severity. Correlational analysis confirmed that the Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions subscales of the MPS were consistently associated with greater social anxiety, trait anxiety, and general psychopathology. Implications for the treatment of social phobia patients are considered.
The major theme in theorizing about the development of perfectionism is that it is a product of p... more The major theme in theorizing about the development of perfectionism is that it is a product of perfectionistic and demanding parents. The two studies reported here represent the first attempt to test this assumption. In study 1, perfectionism was measured in both daughters and their parents. In study 2, perfectionism in both daughters and their parents, related parental characteristics, and levels of psychopathology among daughters were measured. The findings from both studies indicated that mothers' perfectionism, but not fathers', was associated with perfectionism among daughters. In addition, daughters' ratings of fathers' harshness, but not fathers' self-reported harshness, were associated with daughters" perfectionism. For mothers, daughters' ratings of mothers" harshness and mothers' self-reported harshness were associated with perfectionism among daughters. A combination of mothers' Overall Perfectionism and mothers' self-reported harshness accounted for 30% of the variance in daughters' Overall Perfectionism. Additional findings suggested that mothers' perfectionism was associated with greater symptoms of psychopathology among daughters, while fathers' perfectionism was associated with lower levels of symptomatology.
Perfectionism is a major diagnostic criterion for one DSM-III diagnosis, and it has been hypothes... more Perfectionism is a major diagnostic criterion for one DSM-III diagnosis, and it has been hypothesized to play a major role in a wide variety of psychopathologies. Yet there is no precise definition of and there is a paucity of research on, this construct. Based on what has been theorized about perfectionism, a multidimensional measure was developed and several hypotheses regarding the nature of perfectionism were tested in four separate studies. The major dimension of this measure was excessive concern over making mistakes. Five other dimensions were identified, including high personal standards, the perception of high parental expectations, the perception of high parental criticism, the doubting of the quality of one's actions, and a preference for order and organization. Perfectionism and certain of its subscales were correlated with a wide variety of psychopathological symptoms. There was also an association between perfectionism and procrastination. Several subscales of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), personal standards and organization, were associated with positive achievement striving and work habits. The MPS was highly correlated with one of the existing measures of perfectionism. Two other existing measures were only moderately correlated with the MPS and with each other. Future studies of perfectionism should take into account the multidimensional nature of the construct.
Perfectionis~ the tendency to set high standards and to evaluate oneself in an overly critical fa... more Perfectionis~ the tendency to set high standards and to evaluate oneself in an overly critical fashion, has been hypothesized to be associated with a host of psychological problems, yet little research has been done on it. 7his study examined the role of perfectionism in cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to an evaluated writing tasl~ Compared to nonperfectionists, perfectionists assigned the task greater importance at the outset, reported higher levels of negative affect when the evaluative component of the task was emphasized, and, following the task, were more likely to report that they should have done better. Moreover, their work was judged to be lower in quality. Further research on perfectionism and task performance is warranted.
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