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🎯 Self-Regulation
How much of a perfectionist are you?
Frost's Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale.
Rate how much you agree: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
1I set extremely high standards for myself that others would consider unreasonable.
2I am terrified of making mistakes.
3If I don't do something perfectly, I feel like a failure.
4I doubt whether I'm doing things correctly, even when others say it's good.
5My parents had very high expectations of me.
6I need things to be organized and orderly to feel calm.
7I procrastinate because I'm afraid the result won't be perfect.
8I compare my achievements to others and feel inadequate.
9I redo tasks that others would consider already done well.
10I criticize myself harshly for not meeting my own standards.
Perfectionism: anxiety in a productivity mask
Based on Frost's Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (1990). Perfectionism has 6 dimensions: personal standards, concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, parental expectations, parental criticism, and organization.
Adaptive vs maladaptive perfectionism
- Adaptive: High standards + flexibility. Healthy striving, satisfied with "good enough"
- Maladaptive: High standards + rigidity + self-criticism. Nothing is ever good enough
- Items 1, 6 = adaptive; Items 2, 3, 7, 8, 10 = maladaptive
Research
- Perfectionism has increased 33% since 1989 among college students (Curran & Hill 2019)
- Social media-driven perfectionism is the fastest-growing type
- Maladaptive perfectionism correlates with depression (r=0.40) and anxiety (r=0.38)
- Perfectionism is the #1 predictor of burnout in high-achievers (Hill & Curran 2016)
Sources: Frost et al. (1990, MPS), Curran & Hill (2019, generational increase), Hewitt & Flett (1991, multidimensional model).