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Previous studies have shown that self-critical and personal standards forms of perfectionism are associated with progress on personal goals in opposite ways. The present study used a 5-wave prospective longitudinal design to examine what motivational factors account for the finding that self-critical perfectionism has been reliably associated with poor goal progress whereas personal standard perfectionism has been associated with good progress. Specifically, we adopted a self-determination theory perspective to examine the role of autonomy in mediating the effects of perfectionism. Our results replicated previous findings linking the two forms of perfectionism with opposite patterns of goal progress. Importantly, the results suggested that the negative goal effects of self-critical perfectionism are mediated by lower levels of autonomous goal motivation. The results also demonstrated links from personal standards perfectionism to greater autonomous goal motivation. Interestingly, the effects of self-critical perfectionism on goal progress appeared to be dynamic over time and implicated affective mechanisms. The results of the investigation point to the value of adopting a self-determination theory perspective to understand perfectionism.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
1 3
Motiv Emot (2018) 42:37–49
DOI 10.1007/s11031-017-9654-2
ORIGINAL PAPER
Perfectionism andthepursuit ofpersonal goals: Aself-
determination theory analysis
EmilyMoore1,2· AnneC.Holding1,2· NoraH.Hope1,3· BrendaHarvey1,2·
TheodoreA.Powers1· DavidZuroff2· RichardKoestner2
Published online: 11 November 2017
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017
Introduction
Perfectionism is commonly understood as a tendency
to believe that anything less than perfect is unacceptable
(Merriam-Webster 2015). Research has suggested the pres-
ence of two forms of perfectionism and shown that while
one is related to negative outcomes, the other is related to
positive ones, though some overlap occurs (Stoeber and Otto
2006). With regards to the negative form of perfectionism,
a portion of work has focused on self-criticism, which has
been identified as a core feature of unhealthy perfection-
ism (Dunkley etal. 2003; Frost etal. 1990). Many research-
ers argue that self-criticism is the component of unhealthy
perfectionism responsible for negative effects that are com-
monly seen (Dunkley etal. 2003; Powers etal. 2011, 2004).
Self-critical perfectionism has been associated with negative
affect (Dunkley etal. 2003; Frost etal. 1993; Milyavskaya
etal. 2014), anxiety (Bieling etal. 2004), distress (Dunk-
ley etal. 2000), suicidal ideation (Chang etal. 2004; Enns
etal. 2001), hassles (Dunkley etal. 2000, 2003), and avoid-
ant coping (Dunkley etal. 2003). Furthermore, self-critical
perfectionism has been shown to be negatively associated
with positive affect, life satisfaction (Chang etal. 2004) and
self-esteem (Rice etal. 1998; Stumpf and Parker 2000). This
body of research strongly suggests that individuals with self-
critical perfectionism experience many difficulties and fail to
obtain significant advantage from their perfectionism.
With regards to the positive form of perfectionism,
researchers have focused on high personal standards as a
core feature of healthy perfectionism (Blankstein and Dunk-
ley 2002; Powers etal. 2004). Personal standards perfection-
ism has been associated with a mix of positive and negative
features. On the positive side, it has been associated with
positive affect (Chang etal. 2004; Frost etal. 1993) and
active coping styles (Dunkley etal. 2000). On the negative
Abstract Previous studies have shown that self-critical
and personal standards forms of perfectionism are associ-
ated with progress on personal goals in opposite ways. The
present study used a 5-wave prospective longitudinal design
to examine what motivational factors account for the finding
that self-critical perfectionism has been reliably associated
with poor goal progress whereas personal standard perfec-
tionism has been associated with good progress. Specifically,
we adopted a self-determination theory perspective to exam-
ine the role of autonomy in mediating the effects of perfec-
tionism. Our results replicated previous findings linking the
two forms of perfectionism with opposite patterns of goal
progress. Importantly, the results suggested that the nega-
tive goal effects of self-critical perfectionism are mediated
by lower levels of autonomous goal motivation. The results
also demonstrated links from personal standards perfection-
ism to greater autonomous goal motivation. Interestingly,
the effects of self-critical perfectionism on goal progress
appeared to be dynamic over time and implicated affective
mechanisms. The results of the investigation point to the
value of adopting a self-determination theory perspective
to understand perfectionism.
Keywords Goal attainment· Autonomy· Perfectionism·
Affect· Self-determination theory
* Richard Koestner
Richard.koestner@mcgill.ca
1 University ofMassachusetts atDartmouth,
NorthDartmouth, MA, USA
2 McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
3 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... The interactions of perfectionism (e.g., Moore et. Al., 2018) and workaholism (e.g., Malinowska et al., 2018;Stoeber et al., 2013;Van den Broeck, et. al., 2011) were investigated using self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000) to discover the relationship to controlled motivation and autonomous motivation. SDT might be a useful theoretical background to discern the two dimensions of perfe ...
... The two dimensions of perfectionism are differentially related with autonomous and controlled motivation. The self-critical aspect (maladaptive form) of perfectionism is related with a self-definition that depends on self-regulation shaped by guilt and fear (Shahar et al., 2003) which corresponds to introjected regulation in SDT (Moore, et. al., 2018). Self-criticism which is also related with feelings of guilt, shame and anxiety was shown to be positively related with controlled motivation and negatively related with autonomous motivation (Moore et al., 2018;Shahar et al., 2003;Stoeber et al., 2013); while personal standards (adaptive) perfectionism was reported to be positively ass ...
... al., 2018). Self-criticism which is also related with feelings of guilt, shame and anxiety was shown to be positively related with controlled motivation and negatively related with autonomous motivation (Moore et al., 2018;Shahar et al., 2003;Stoeber et al., 2013); while personal standards (adaptive) perfectionism was reported to be positively associated with autonomous motivation (e.g., Harvey et al., 2015). ...
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... The scientific literature has shown similar results. Studies such as Conroy et al. [38] or Hill et al. [76] highlighted the fact that the specific beliefs about the consequences of failure underlying different forms of perfectionism impact fear of failure when acting in combination [23,35,36]. Other studies [15,26,32,58] have shown that perfectionistic preoccupation with mistakes, the perception of external pressures (mainly from parents), and the excess of wanting to achieve sporting accomplishments to please others showed a positive relationship with the fear of experiencing shame and embarrassment in achievement actions and putting thoughts of failure ("if I fail I will no longer be important to the team", "I don't know if it is worth my effort") before positive appraisals of the action. ...
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... Doch was passiert mittel-und langfristig, wenn Menschen Selbstkritik einseitig und dauerhaft als Mittel zur Motivation nutzen? Studien zeigen, wer viel Selbstkritik praktiziert, untergräbt sein Selbstvertrauen und läuft auf lange Sicht Gefahr, Versagensäng ste zu entwickeln (Moore et al., 2018). Das sind wiederum keine guten Voraussetzungen, um in der aktuellen VUKA-Welt mit ihrem konstanten Wandel und den damit einhergehenden ständig neuen Herausforderungen erfolgreich zu bestehen. ...
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Book
Self-criticism is a personality trait that has been implicated in a wide range of psychopathologies and developmental arrests. Defined as the tendency to set unrealistically high standards for one's self and to adopt a punitive stance towards the self once these standards are not met, self-criticism is both active and cyclical. Self-critics actively create the social-interpersonal conditions that generate their distress, and their distress itself exacerbates self-criticism. Erosion offers a comprehensive treatment of self-criticism based in philosophy, developmental science, personality and clinical psychology, social theories, and cognitive-affective neuroscience. Professor Golan Shahar expertly summarizes the most recent research on the topic and synthesizes theory, empirical research, and clinical practice guidelines for assessment, prevention, and treatment. The book rests upon three elements that, as Shahar argues, are central to the maintenance of self-critical vulnerability: the importance of a concept of an authentic self or the need to "feel real"; the importance of intentionality and goal-directedness; and the power of interpersonal relationships and cultural context. Shahar argues that exploring these elements requires an integrated clinical approach that incorporates multidimensional assessment and interventions which reconcile science, practice, and policy. The result is a broad and scholarly volume that is useful to practitioners, researchers, and theorists interested in self-criticism.