An investigation of the relationship between perfectionism and life satisfaction among Irish adolescents
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Authors
O'Byrne, Jenny
Issue Date
2004
Degree
BA Counselling and Psychotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
Recent conceptualisations of perfectionism view the construct as consisting of two separate subtypes: Adaptive perfectionists - individuals who hold high personal standards but who can accept occasions when these standards are not achieved. Maladaptive perfectionists - individuals who hold equally high standards but who find it difficult to accept when they do not meet their standards. Although there has been much research on perfectionism, particularly among college students and in relation to negative outcomes, little research has examined the relationship between perfectionism and life satisfaction. Furthermore, an investigation of this particular relationship among an Irish adolescent population has yet to be explored. In the present study, a total of 181 students from two schools completed the Almost Perfect Scale - Revised and the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale. Results indicated a positive and statistically significant relationship between setting personal standards and life satisfaction. In addition, both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionists reported higher life satisfaction than nonperfectionists. Implications of these findings are suggested.