Articles from:July 2022

  • Can Perfectionism Actually Affect my Health?

    Tuesday, July 26, 2022 | By

    HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE…

    Needing to be perfect and believing that others demand perfection from you is linked with poorer physical health. People who think a lot about their need to be perfect and are stressed show evidence of immune system dysregulation. Perfectionism may undermine immune system functioning, which could leave people at a higher risk for poorer physical health.

    In our last post, we discussed how thinking a lot about needing to be perfect or being hyper-focused on not being perfect can result in poorer mental health. The effects of perfectionism are certainly far-reaching as research has shown that requiring perfection contributes to depression (Smith et al., 2021), anxiety (Burgess & DiBartolo, 2016), and eating disorders (Bardone-Cone et al., 2007). The question that we will tackle this week is: Do the effects of perfectionism extend to our physical health?

    The quick and simple answer is yes! Many studies over the last 25 years have shown that perfectionism is related to poorer physical health (Bonvanie et al., 2015; Pritchard et al., 2007; Saboonchi & Lundh, 2003; Sirois & Molnar, 2016). For example, some of our earlier work showed that people who believe that others expect perfection from them experience more physical health symptoms such as headaches, colds, and fatigue compared to those who do not have these beliefs (see Molnar et al., 2006).

    However, we have to keep in mind that how perfectionism is related to physical health can differ depending on the type of perfectionism that we are experiencing. For example, findings show that people who believe that others demand perfection from them (researchers call this socially prescribed perfectionism) tend to experience poorer health across the board whereas those who demand perfection from themselves (researchers refer to this as self-oriented perfectionism) tend to have a complicated relationship with health with some experiencing better health, some experiencing no changes in health, and others experiencing poorer health (Molnar et al., 2012).

    So we know that perfectionism is linked with our physical health and often leads to poorer health. However, a lingering question is, why is perfectionism related to our health?

    One of our more recent studies may have part of the answer. This study included 248 Canadian young adults (52% female; average age = 23 years) who completed questionnaires that measured how often they thought about their need to be perfect and their stress levels. They also provided blood samples so that we could assess how their immune system was functioning; we were specifically interested in what researchers refer to as low-grade inflammation. Inflammation can occur when a pathogen, virus or bacteria enters the body or when we are injured.

    Sometimes inflammation can be good for us because it can keep our body balanced and healthy, but if the inflammation persists for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to poorer outcomes. Our results showed that when people consistently think that they need to be perfect and are stressed, they are more likely to experience higher levels of inflammation. In other words, young adults who thought a lot about their need to be perfect and were stressed showed evidence of immune system dysregulation. These findings suggest that perfectionism may undermine immune system functioning, which could put people at higher risk for poorer health.

    PAPERS MENTIONED IN THE POST:

    Resource #1

    Bardone-Cone, A. M., Wonderlich, S. A., Frost, R. O., Bulik, C. M., Mitchell, J. E., Uppala, S., & Simonich, H. (2007). Perfectionism and eating disorders: current status and future directions. Clinical psychology review, 27(3), 384–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2006.12.005

    Resource #2

    Bonvanie, I.J., Rosmalen, J.G.M., van Rhede van der Kloot, C.M., Oldehinkel, A.J., & Janssens, K.A.M. (2015). Short report: functional somatic symptoms are associated with perfectionism in adolescents. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 79 (4), 328–330. https://Doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.07.009.

    Resource #3

    Burgess, A., & DiBartolo, P. M. (2016). Anxiety and perfectionism: Relationships, mechanisms, and conditions. In Perfectionism, health, and well-being (pp. 177-203). Springer, Cham.

    Resource #4

    Fry, P.S., & Debats, D.L. (2009). Perfectionism and the five-factor personality traits as predictors of mortality in older adults. Journal of Health Psychology, 14 (4), 513–524. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1359105309103571

    Resource #5

    Molnar, D. S., Moore, J., O’Leary, D. D., MacNeil, A. J., & Wade, T. J. (2021). Perfectionistic cognitions, Interleukin-6, and C-Reactive protein: A test of the perfectionism diathesis stress model. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health, 13, 100211.

    Resource #6

    Molnar, D.S., Sadava, S.W., Flett, G.L., & *Colautti, J. (2012). Perfectionism and health: Examining the roles of stress, health-related behaviours, and social support. Psychology & Health, 27, 846-864.

    Resource #7

    Molnar, D.S., Reker, D.L., Culp, N. A., Sadava, S.W., & DeCourville, N.H. (2006). A mediated model of perfectionism, affect, and physical health. Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 482-500.

    Resource #8

    Pritchard, M.E., Wilson, G.S., & Yamnitz, B. (2007). What predicts adjustment among college students? A longitudinal panel study. Journal of American College Health 56 (1), 15–21. https:// doi.org/10.3200/jach.56.1.15-22.

    Resource #9

    Saboonchi, F., & Lundh, L.G. (2003). Perfectionism, anger, somatic health and positive affect. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 1585–1599.

    Resource #10

    Sirois, F. M., & Molnar, D. S. (Eds.) (2016). Perfectionism, Health, and Well-Being. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

    Resource #11

    Smith, M. M., Sherry, S. B., Ray, C., Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (2021). Is perfectionism a vulnerability factor for depressive symptoms, a complication of depressive symptoms, or both? A meta-analytic test of 67 longitudinal studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 84, 101982. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101982

    PLEASE NOTE: The information presented in this blog is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended to be used as diagnostic criteria. Perfectionism is not a recognized psychological disorder. The information in this blog is NOT a substitute for advice by an appropriate health professional. If you are experiencing distress, please contact an appropriate health professional.

    Categories: Blog

  • How do Perfectionistic Thoughts Contribute to Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic among Young Adults

    Tuesday, July 19, 2022 | By

    HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE…

    Perfectionistic automatic thoughts are relatively common among young adults with about 2 in 5 young adults experiencing thoughts about the need to be perfect at least moderately often. Thoughts about the need to be perfect tended to decrease among young adults during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Young adults who more frequently thought about needing to be perfect experienced higher levels of depressive symptoms both before and during the pandemic compared to those who experienced perfectionistic thoughts less frequently. Young adults who more frequently engaged in perfectionistic automatic thinking experienced higher levels of anxiety before and during the pandemic and experienced a greater increase in anxiety symptoms pre-pandemic to during the pandemic.

    Many of us have thought to ourselves at one point or another that we need to be perfect, or we need to do better. It is also not uncommon to think about our mistakes, and specifically how much we hate making mistakes. These thoughts are referred to by perfectionism researchers as “perfectionistic automatic thoughts” or “perfectionistic cognitions.” Whereas some of us have little experience with these thoughts, others seem to have them playing on a continuous loop in their heads. Are these thoughts changeable over time? How do these thoughts affect our mental health? In this post, we will look at the findings from a recent study (Molnar et al., 2020) that examined how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the amount of perfectionistic thoughts experienced by young adults and how perfectionistic thoughts may contribute to anxiety and depressive symptoms.

    What are perfectionistic automatic thoughts?

    Perfectionistic automatic thoughts or perfectionistic cognitions are thoughts that people have about their strong need to be absolutely perfect or their concerns about not being perfect along with a focus on any potential flaws or mistakes that they may have made. People who frequently engage in perfectionistic thinking tend to focus on their belief that they are not perfect, but that they should be perfect (see Molnar & Murphy, 2016 for more detailed information).

    How common are perfectionistic automatic thoughts among young adults?

    In a recent study, 171 young adults from Southern Ontario, Canada, between the ages of 19 and 25 years, completed surveys assessing how frequently they experienced perfectionistic automatic thoughts along with questionnaires measuring their levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms (Molnar et al., 2021). Importantly, these young adults completed these surveys both before the COVID-19 pandemic began and again 6-9 months into the pandemic. Some interesting findings emerged. Our results showed that before the pandemic began approximately 32% of young adults experienced perfectionistic thoughts moderately often, while an additional 6% of young adults indicated that they experienced these thoughts either often or all of the time. In other words, about 2 out of 5 young adults thought about their need to be perfect fairly often.

    Are perfectionistic automatic thoughts changeable and did they change with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?

    It appears that perfectionistic thoughts can change over time. The results of the study show that the frequency with which young adults experienced thoughts about the need to be perfect decreased from before the pandemic to the early stages of the pandemic. It must be noted; however, that the decrease was relatively small (i.e., average levels before the pandemic = 45.24; average levels during the pandemic = 41.07). Given the stress of the pandemic and the related government-mandated lockdowns, why would perfectionistic thoughts have decreased among young adults? According to Dr. Gordon Flett and Dr. Paul Hewitt, the pandemic may have prompted people to disengage from perfectionistic thinking and to instead embrace healthier thinking patterns such as focusing more so on self-care (Flett & Hewitt, 2020).

    Thus, during the early stages of the pandemic, people may have shifted their focus away from their need to be perfect and towards their own and their family’s health and well-being. However, it is far too early to make any strong conclusions about how the pandemic is affecting perfectionistic thinking patterns. For example, the pandemic could also theoretically provoke people to more frequently engage in perfectionistic thinking in an effort to achieve a greater sense of control, security, and meaning (Flett & Hewitt, 2020).

    This idea is based on the notion that perfectionistic people tend to have a strong need for control and a felt sense of security was likely disrupted for many as a direct result of the pandemic and its related lockdowns.

    How are perfectionistic automatic thoughts related to mental health among young adults?

    Young adults who had more frequent thoughts about needing to be perfect before the onset of the pandemic experienced more depressive symptoms before the pandemic and during the early stages of the pandemic. This is consistent with other studies that have shown clear links between perfectionistic thoughts and depression (e.g., Besser et al., 2020). However, our findings did not show that experiencing more frequent perfectionistic thoughts predicted changes in depressive symptoms. This is because depressive symptoms did not change among our sample of young adults from before the pandemic began to the early stages of the pandemic.

    Anxiety, however, did increase from before the pandemic began to during the pandemic. Importantly, young adults who more frequently thought about their need to be perfect experienced higher levels of anxiety before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and experienced greater increases in anxiety from before the pandemic to the early stages of the pandemic. Our results are consistent with other studies that have also shown that perfectionistic automatic thoughts increase risk for anxiety (e.g., Tyler et al., 2021).

    Taken together, these findings support the idea that individuals who experience frequent thoughts about needing to be perfect or are persistently concerned about not being perfect are more vulnerable to poorer mental health and that this vulnerability may be heightened when under stressful circumstances such as a global pandemic. Contrary to many people’s beliefs that perfectionistic thoughts are good for you because they can foster motivation and self-improvement, our results show that these thoughts are harmful by undermining mental health.

    To learn more about this study, check out:

    Molnar, D. S., Methot-Jones, T., Moore, J., O’Leary, D. D., & Wade, T. J. (2021). Perfectionistic cognitions pre-pandemic predict greater anxiety symptoms during the pandemic among emerging adults: A two-wave cross-lagged study. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy: RET, 1–19. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-021-00423-1

    Other helpful resources in the post:

    Resources

    Besser, A., Flett, G. L., Sherry, S. B., & Hewitt, P. L. (2020). Are perfectionistic thoughts an antecedent or a consequence of depressive symptoms? A cross-lagged analysis of the perfectionism cognitions inventory. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38(1), 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282919877764

    Resources

    Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, G. L. (2020). The perfectionism pandemic meets COVID-19: Understanding the stress, distress, and problems in living for perfectionists during the global health crisis. Journal of Concurrent Disorders, 2(1), 80-105.

    Resources

    Molnar D.S. & Murphy E.L. (2016). Perfectionistic Cognitions. In: Zeigler-Hill V., Shackelford T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1105-1

    Resources

    Tyler, J., Mu, W., McCann, J., Belli, G., & Asnaani, A. (2021). The unique contribution of perfectionistic cognitions to anxiety disorder symptoms in a treatment-seeking sample. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 50(2), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2020.1798497

    Categories: Blog

  • Introducing the Blog

    Tuesday, July 12, 2022 | By

    Welcome to “The Young & The Perfectionistic” blog! If you or someone you know feels constant pressure to be perfect, are afraid of making mistakes, terrified of failure, constantly doubts decisions, needs to check or redo work, or can’t enjoy success because it often feels like even more pressure to do better next time, then you are in the right place.

    In this blog, we will be discussing how teens, their parents, and people who engage with teenagers (e.g., educators, coaches, practitioners, etc.) understand and experience perfectionism. Our lab is dedicated to helping young people, their families, and those who work with teens gain a better understanding of what it means to be a teen perfectionist and how perfectionism is experienced in their daily lives. The goal is to use our findings to inform prevention and intervention strategies aimed at lessening perfectionism and its associated costs for teens and their families.

    We will provide our latest research findings to help answer questions such as “How do I know if I am a perfectionist?”, “Is perfectionism good for me?”, “How does perfectionism affect my mental and physical health?” and “How common is perfectionism?” We will also chat about studies with other researchers to provide a rich and diverse set of perspectives on these complicated questions. Perfectionism is a very complex topic so there is much to discuss! Stay tuned for our second blog post entitled “How do perfectionistic thoughts contribute to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among young adults?”

    PLEASE NOTE: The information presented in this blog is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended to be used as diagnostic criteria. Perfectionism is not a recognized psychological disorder. The information in this blog is NOT a substitute for advice by an appropriate health professional. If you are experiencing distress, please contact an appropriate health professional.

    Categories: Blog