Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Behav Cogn Psychother. 2013 Oct;41(5):565-78. doi: 10.1017/S135246581200063X. Epub 2012 Oct 9.
Clinical perfectionism is a transdiagnostic process that has been found to maintain eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression. Cognitive behavioural models explaining the maintenance of clinical perfectionism emphasize the contribution of dichotomous thinking and resetting standards higher following both success and failure in meeting their goals. There has been a paucity of research examining the predictions of the models and motivation to change perfectionism. Motivation to change is important as individuals with clinical perfectionism often report many perceived benefits of their perfectionism; they are, therefore, likely to be ambivalent regarding changing perfectionism.
The aim was to compare qualitative responses regarding questions about motivation to change standards and cognitions regarding failure to meet a personal standard in two contrasting groups with high and low negative perfectionism. Negative perfectionism refers to concern over not meeting personal standards.
A clinical group with a range of axis 1 diagnoses who were elevated on negative perfectionism were compared to a group of athletes who were low on negative perfectionism.
Results indicated that the clinical group perceived many negative consequences of their perfectionism. They also, however, reported numerous benefits and the majority stated that they would prefer not to change their perfectionism. The clinical group also reported dichotomous thinking and preferring to either keep standards the same or reset standards higher following failure, whilst the athlete group reported they would keep standards the same or set them lower.
The findings support predictions of the cognitive behavioural model of clinical perfectionism.
临床完美主义是一种跨诊断过程，已被发现可维持饮食障碍、焦虑障碍和抑郁症。解释临床完美主义维持的认知行为模型强调了二分思维的贡献，以及在实现目标成功和失败后重置更高标准。目前，关于这些模型的预测以及改变完美主义的动机的研究还很少。改变动机很重要，因为有临床完美主义的个体经常报告他们的完美主义有很多感知到的好处；因此，他们在改变完美主义方面可能犹豫不决。
目的是比较两组具有高和低负性完美主义的个体，在改变标准和对未达到个人标准的认知的动机方面，定性回答问题。负性完美主义是指对未达到个人标准的关注。
将具有一系列轴 1 诊断的临床组与低负性完美主义的运动员组进行比较，这些临床组个体的负性完美主义程度较高。
结果表明，临床组个体感知到他们的完美主义有许多负面影响。然而，他们也报告了许多好处，大多数人表示他们宁愿不改变自己的完美主义。临床组还报告说他们采用二分思维，在失败后要么保持标准不变，要么重置更高的标准，而运动员组则表示他们要么保持标准不变，要么设定更低的标准。
研究结果支持临床完美主义认知行为模型的预测。
