1. Yeditepe University , Istanbul
Looming Maladaptive Style as a Moderator of the Association between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Anxiety
Ayşe Altan-Atalay
Yeditepe University , Istanbul
Perfectionism had been documented as a phenomenon that is associated with both psychopathology and normal adaptive behavior (Stoeber & Otto, 2006). Generally individuals who are high in perfectionism set high goals for themselves, and are extremely sensitive about their failures and in order to minimize failures they tend to avoid engaging in different experiences (Santanello & Gardner, 2007). Various researchers proposed two-dimensional model of perfectionism with one dimension acting as a risk factor for distress and psychopathology and the other acting as a motivating force for the accomplishment of the high goals (Frost et al., 1993; Hamachek, 1978; Stoeber & Otto, 2006). Empirical studies also support the view that the Maladaptive Perfectionism (MP)is significantly and positively correlated with both anxiety and depression. On the other hand Adaptive Perfectionism appearing as an adaptive personality characteristic associated with more healthy outcomes (DiBartolo, Li, & Frost, 2008). Yet, debate still continues regarding the presence of AP.
Despite limited number of empirical studies, many scholars hypothesized perfectionism to be associated with a family environment characterized by excessive authority, control, criticism, and disapproval (Blatt, 1995, Burns, 1980; Sorotzkin, 1998). Majority of these studies focused exclusively on MP, in a way neglecting the developmental antecedents of AP. Different modes of parenting underlie different modes of perfectionism (Hutchinson & Yates, 2010).
In the present study, dimensions of perfectionism were expected to yield a structure supporting a two-factor model of perfectionism. Both AP and MP were expected to be associated with measures of social anxiety and depression. Lastly, it was hypothesized that perfectionism would be associated with a parenting style characterized by high levels of parental overprotection and low levels of parental care. A difference between AP and MP is also expected in terms of parental characteristics.
Participants
389 university students ( males and females) aged between 17 and 31
Measures
Demographic information
The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS)
Looming Maladaptive Style Questionnaire-Revised (LMSQ-R)
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait (STAI-T)
Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Procedure
Data was gathered during class time. Participants received extra credit in return for participation.
Results
Discussion
As expected, the factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution with factors of Maladaptive (DA, CM, PE, and PC) and Adaptive perfectionism (PS and O)(Frost et al., 1993).
Both depression and social anxiety increased as MP increased. AP, appeared to be associated with lower levels of depression and social anxiety (affective and behavioral components)(Frost et al. 1993).
Overprotection from both mother and father were found to be associated with higher levels of MP. PS was found to be weakly associated with one of the parenting variables. Although, results suggest a meaningful relationship between parenting and MP, connection of AP and parental characteristics is still not clear.
These results raise the possibility of some other family variables that can be influential in development of the trait of AP.
Table 1: Results of Principle Components Analysis (PCA) with dimensions of MPS.
A factor analysis was conducted on six MPS subscale scores using principal components analysis with varimax rotation (KMO= .63).
Two factors emerged
Table 2: Regression analyses with MPS-MP and MPS-AP serving as dependent variables
Higher levels of both maternal and paternal overprotection and lower levels of care were found to be associated with MP. Analyses did not reveal any significant results for AP.
MPS-MP
MPS-AP
Predictor variables
ΔR²
R2 Change β t
Step 1
.08***
.03*
Age
.03
.56
.02
.43
Gender
.27
5.38***
.12
2.30
Mothers’ Education
-.04
-.60
-.64
Fathers’ Education
-.06
-.99
.00
.04
SES
Step 2
.25***
.17***
.01
Maternal Care
-.15
-2.77**
-.01
-.13
Paternal Care
-.11
-2.01*
.06
.96
Maternal OP
-.18
-3.25**
.89
Paternal OP
-.14
-2.51*
-2.33*
Note: MPS-MP= Maladaptive Perfectionism, MPS-AP= Adaptive Perfectionism, SES= Socioeconomic Status.
Table 3: Regression analyses with measures of depression and social anxiety as dependent variables.
References
Blatt, S. (1995). The destructiveness of perfectionism: Implications for the treatment of depression. American Psychologist, 50,
Burns, D. D. (1980). The perfectionist’s script for self-defeat. Psychology Today, 14(6),
DiBartolo, P. M., Li, C. Y., & Frost, R. O. (2008). How do the dimensions of perfectionism relate to mental health? Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32, doi: /s
Frost, R. O., Heimberg, R. G., Holt, C. S., Mattia, J. I., & Neubauer, A. L. (1993). A comparison of two measures of perfectionism. Personality and Individual Differences, 14, doi: / (93)
Hamachek, D. E. (1978). Psychodynamics of normal and neurotic perfectionism. Psychology, 15(1),
Hutchinson, A. J., & Yates, G. C. R. (2010). Maternal goal factors in adaptive and maladaptive childhood perfectionism. Educational Psychology, 28, 795–808. doi: /
Santanello, A. W., & Gardner, F. L. (2007). The role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and worry. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 31(3),
Sorotzkin, B. (1998). Understanding and treating perfectionism in religious adolescents. Psychotherapy, 35,
Stoeber, J., & Otto, K. (2006). Positive conceptions of perfectionism: Approaches, evidence, challenges. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10,
MP was found to be significantly predicting all the dependent variables, with higher MP scores indicating higher degrees of depression and social anxiety. On the other hand AP appeared to be negatively associated with only BNFE scores.
BDI
LSAS
BFNE
Predictor variables
ΔR²
R2 Change β t
Step 1
.03
.05*
.01
Age
0.07
1.34
-0.08
-1.65
0.00
-0.04
Gender
0.08
1.61
-0.85
Mothers’ Education
1.28
-0.05
-0.83
0.01
0.18
Fathers’ Education
-0.12
-1.87
-0.17
-2.57
-0.10
-1.49
SES
-0.03
-0.47
-0.01
-0.16
-0.53
Step 2
.20
.17
.12
.11
.10
MPS-MP
0.43
8.57**
0.34
6.76**
0.32
6.07**
MPS-AP
-3.28
-3.26
0.05
1.08**