Perfectionism in sport, dance, and exercise: An extended review and reanalysis

In the current chapter we review research examining perfectionism in sport, dance, and exercise with a view to comparing the possibility that perfectionism is a hallmark feature of elite athletes versus the existence of a “perfectionism paradox.” That is, while sport, dance, and exercise may encourage a focus on perfection, those that exhibit perfectionism are vulnerable to motivation, wellbeing, and performance difficulties. We start by providing a brief historical overview of perfectionism and the hierarchical model of perfectionism. We then describe three different approaches to examining perfectionism; an independent effects approach, tripartite model, and 2 × 2 model. Research examining perfectionism using these three approaches is reviewed alongside their description. The review of the 2 × 2 model includes a new and extensive reanalysis of all existing published research examining perfectionism is sport, dance, and exercise. We close the chapter by summarising the likely consequences of perfectionism in sport, dance, and exercise, and advocating consideration of the perfectionism paradox to researchers and practitioners