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Is perfectionism always unhealthy? Examining the moderating effects of psychological flexibility and self‐compassion
Author(s) -
Ong Clarissa W.,
Lee Eric B.,
Petersen Julie M.,
Levin Michael E.,
Twohig Michael P.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.23187
Subject(s) - perfectionism (psychology) , psychology , self compassion , rumination , flexibility (engineering) , clinical psychology , psychological distress , mindfulness , quality of life (healthcare) , mental health , psychotherapist , cognition , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics
Objective Perfectionism is generally associated with worse mental health outcomes, though evidence suggests elements of it may be helpful. In light of these findings, we examined whether psychological skills like psychological flexibility and self‐compassion moderated the relationship between perfectionism and wellbeing (i.e., quality of life, symptom impairment, and psychological distress). Methods Undergraduate students ( N = 677) completed self‐report measures. Results A latent profile analysis identified three perfectionism groups (low, average, and high) based on four perfectionism subscales: concern over mistakes, need for approval, rumination, and striving for excellence. Generally, we found that psychological flexibility and/or self‐compassion buffered the impact of average and high perfectionism on quality of life and symptom impairment. Conclusion Our results support the utility of practicing psychological flexibility and/or self‐compassion for people with average and high levels of perfectionism. Limitations include using a cross‐sectional design and nonclinical sample.