Factors Influencing the Development of Perfectionism

ABSTRACT\ud FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF\ud PERFECTIONISM\ud by\ud Kyra L. Davies\ud Master of Arts in Psychology\ud Psychological Science Option\ud California State University, Chico\ud Summer 2009\ud Research on the development of perfectionism is important because many\ud researchers have linked perfectionism and many types of psychopathologies. Therefore,\ud the current study attempts to predict perfectionism from adult attachment, parenting\ud styles and adult temperament. Perfectionism can be defined as a multidimensional trait\ud (e.g., personal standards, parental criticism and expectations, concern over mistakes,\ud organization and doubts about actions) that is characterized as having excessively high\ud personal standards. One hundred and fifty-four participants responded to the Frost\ud Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised\ud Questionnaire, the Parental Authority Questionnaire, and the Adult Temperament\ud Questionnaire. Insecure attachment styles, authoritarian parenting style and\ud vii\ud extraversion/surgency temperament style were analyzed in all of the regression models.\ud The results indicated that higher scores on the anxious attachment scale were the best\ud predictor for five dimensions of perfectionism and carried the largest beta weights in all\ud five regression models. The findings of the current suggest that individuals who have\ud characteristics of anxious attachment, such as fear of rejection, are likely to develop\ud characteristics of perfectionism.CSU, Chic