Journal Article

\I Need to Be Perfect or Else the World's Gonna End\: A Qualitative Analysis of Adolescent Perfectionists' Expression and Understanding of Their Perfectionism

Hewitt, Paul L., Flett, Gordon L., Molnar, Danielle S., Zinga, Dawn, Tacuri, Natalie, Blackburn, Melissa

2023

Overview

Converging evidence indicates that the high prevalence of perfectionism and associated pressures to be perfect among adolescents constitute a growing societal problem, especially given concerns about the mental health of young people. This qualitative study sought to understand how adolescent perfectionists recruited from the community define and think about perfectionism. Semistructured interviews were completed with 46 self-identified adolescent perfectionists (Mage = 16.33 years, SD = 1.93; 44 females, 2 males). Analyses yielded new key insights about how adolescent perfectionists define and think about perfectionism. Themes that emerged confirmed the multidimensionality of perfectionism and associated self-evaluative, self-presentational, and cognitive tendencies. Unique themes included the role of social comparison and the commitment to perfectionism despite recognizing the costs. The picture that emerged from this work is that perfectionism is exceptionally complex at the construct level and has elements that account for the heterogeneity that exists among adolescents who all share the self-identified label of being \"a perfectionist.\" Most notably, this work highlights the importance of understanding the need to be perfect and how perfectionism goes well beyond striving for excellence. The implications of this work are considered in terms of assessment, prevention, and practice. Des preuves convergentes indiquent que la forte prévalence du perfectionnisme et les pressions associées pour être parfait chez les adolescents constituent un problème sociétal croissant, en particulier compte tenu des préoccupations concernant la santé mentale des jeunes. Cette étude qualitative visait à comprendre comment les adolescents perfectionnistes recrutés dans la communauté définissent le perfectionnisme et ce qu'ils en pensent. Des entretiens semi-structurés ont été menés auprès de 46 adolescents perfectionnistes auto-identifiés (Âge médian = 16,33 ans, É.-T. = 1,93 ; 44 filles, 2 garçons). Les analyses ont permis de dégager de nouvelles idées clés sur la façon dont les adolescents perfectionnistes définissent le perfectionnisme et ce qu'ils en pensent. Les thèmes qui ont émergé ont confirmé la multidimensionnalité du perfectionnisme et des tendances associées d'auto-évaluation, d'autoprésentation et de cognition. Parmi les thèmes uniques, on trouve le rôle de la comparaison sociale et l'engagement envers le perfectionnisme malgré la reconnaissance des coûts. L'image qui ressort de ces travaux est que le perfectionnisme est exceptionnellement complexe au niveau des constructions et possède des éléments qui expliquent l'hétérogénéité qui existe parmi les adolescents qui partagent l'étiquette de « perfectionniste ». Plus particulièrement, ce travail souligne l'importance de comprendre le besoin d'être parfait et comment le perfectionnisme va bien au-delà de la recherche de l'excellence. Les implications de ces travaux sont considérées en matière d'évaluation, de prévention et de pratique. Public Significance Statement In this study, 46 teenage perfectionists provided detailed descriptions of what perfectionism means to them in their own words. Findings illustrated that the label of being \"a perfectionist\" is not one-size-fits-all for teens, such that teenagers identified 11 different characteristics of perfectionism. Results of this study also underscored the importance of understanding that perfectionism goes well beyond striving for excellence and is instead experienced by teens as a compulsive need to be absolutely flawless.

• Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation,Canadian Psychological Association
• Subject: Adolescence / Adolescent Development / Adolescents / Adults / Child development / Children & youth / Cognition / Comprehension / Female / Human / Male / Mental health / Perfectionism / Personality / Qualitative research / Research methodology / Social comparison / Teenagers / Youth