Why Perfectionism Is Antithetical to Mindfulness: a Conceptual and Empirical Analysis and Consideration of Treatment Implications

The distinct link of perfectionism with positive and negative mental health outcomes

Perfectionism is a known risk for mental health symptoms. However, the literature on perfectionism and mental health mostly focused on the psychopathological symptoms when mental health is not only about the absence of psychopathology but also the presence of positive indicators. The present study aimed to examine the associations of adaptive and maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism with bidimensional mental health among undergraduate students (N = 467) at a private university in the Philippines. We assessed the role of High Standards and Discrepancy perfectionism on the negative (depression, anxiety, and stress) and positive (satisfaction with life and meaning in life) indicators of mental health. Structural equation modeling demonstrated distinct associations of High Standards and Discrepancy on mental health and well-being outcomes. High Standards positively predicted stress and life satisfaction, and negatively predicted depression, presence of meaning, and search for meaning. High Standards did not have a significant effect on anxiety. Discrepancy positively predicted depression, anxiety, and stress and negatively predicted life satisfaction. Interestingly, presence of meaning was significantly and positively associated with Discrepancy while search for meaning was not. This study contributes to the literature by finding evidence for the distinct influence of Discrepancy and High Standards on several indicators of positive and negative mental health.

Maladaptive perfectionism can explain the inverse relationship between dispositional mindfulness and procrastination

Given the widespread occurrence of procrastination and its adverse association with well-being, investigating the individual variables that influence procrastination is a crucial matter. Previous research has identified dispositional mindfulness to be negatively associated with procrastination, but the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship remain unclear. In this study, the aim was to investigate whether the inverse relationship between dispositional mindfulness and procrastination could be explained by the mediating roles of trait anxiety and maladaptive perfectionism. In a cross-sectional survey, 126 participants (aged 18-33) completed the 15-Item Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait Form, the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, and the Pure Procrastination Scale. A parallel mediation model was tested to investigate the mediating role of self-reported maladaptive perfectionism and trait anxiety to explain the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and procrastination with a bootstrapped multivariate technique. The results revealed that maladaptive perfectionism significantly mediated the relationship between mindfulness and procrastination -indicating that dispositional mindfulness has a significant indirect effect on procrastination via decreased levels of maladaptive perfectionism. It was determined that 15% of the variance in procrastination was significantly explained by this model (R2 = .15, β =  -.39, B =  -.83, 95% CI =  [-1.18, -.48], p < .001]. As the study highlights the importance of maladaptive perfectionism to explain the link between mindfulness and procrastination, we suggest that future research could investigate the influence of mindfulness on procrastination via mindfulness-based interventions, and include measurements of both trait anxiety and maladaptive perfectionism across longitudinal or experimental designs to unpack causality with respect to our pattern of observed findings.

Perfectionism, Self-Image Goals and Compassionate Goals in Health and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Analysis

This research focuses on ego-focused self-image goals as central to understanding the vulnerability inherent in perfectionism and the link that perfectionism has with poorer health and emotional well-being. The present study expands theory and research on perfectionism from a unique motivational perspective through a longitudinal investigation of perfectionism, the pursuit of self-image goals related to self-improvement, and mental and physical health among 187 university students. Our central finding was that trait and self-presentational perfectionism were associated longitudinally with self-image goals and poorer mental and physical health. Longitudinal analyses showed that perfectionistic self-presentation predicted subsequent self-image goals, controlling for initial self-image goals. Additionally, self-image goals were associated with worse mental and physical health and greater loneliness and social anxiety. Collectively, our results illustrate the benefits of assessing problematic personal goals in perfectionism and the need to revise existing motivational accounts by recognizing the important role ego-involved goals play in guiding much of what perfectionists do and how they act in their daily lives.

Exploration of the Mediating Role of Self-Compassion and Mindfulness on Orthorexia Nervosa and Perfectionism

Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with healthy eating, accompanied by increasingly restrictive dietary practices over time. In light of the increased attention to ON, it is noteworthy that the existing body of research, specifically with regard to mindfulness and self-compassion remains constrained in scope and depth. A total of 151 participants over the age of 18 completed scales measuring Orthorexia, Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, and Perfectionism. The findings revealed that individuals exhibiting high levels of ON tended to have low levels of self-compassion and mindfulness, along with high levels of perfectionism. Furthermore, the results indicated that self-compassion and mindfulness acted as mediators in the relationship between perfectionism and orthorexia nervosa. These findings deepen our comprehension of orthorexia and underscore the role of self-compassion and mindfulness, or their absence, as mediating factors in this context. The implications of these results and potential future directions are discussed.

The effect of mindfulness on online self-presentation, pressure, and addiction on social media

As social media has become more imperative in daily life, people pay more attention to self-presentation and impression management on social media, and some have even become psychologically dependent. There is a large group of socially addicted users who continuously strive to improve their online self-presentation. Due to stress and burnout arising from social media addiction, people change their social media behavior. The influence of mindfulness on social behavior cannot be ignored. This study aims to explore coping behaviors and the role of mindfulness for people under social media pressure and social media addiction in China's special political environment. We found significant differences in self-presentation, social media pressure, and social media addiction among different circles in the Chinese context. Experiments have shown that people's socially addictive behaviors and abilities to withstand social media pressure are affected by their mindfulness. In addition, the more social media pressure people perceive on social media, the more likely they are to stop using social media and shift to offline interpersonal interactions. However, when there are more offline interpersonal interactions, people's willingness to return to social media platforms increases.

Does self-esteem mediate the association between perfectionism and mindfulness among Lebanese university students?

Objectives

To evaluate the associations between mindfulness, self-esteem and perfectionism in a Lebanese sample of university students, as well as the indirect effect of self-esteem between mindfulness and perfectionism was investigated.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was carried out between July and September 2021. A total of 363 university students were recruited through convenience sampling through several universities in Lebanon’s governorates. An online survey that included a part that collected sociodemographic information, the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory to assess mindfulness, the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale to assess self-esteem and the Big Three Perfectionism Scale to assess perfectionism was completed by participants.

Results

Higher self-esteem (Beta = 1.30) was significantly associated with more mindfulness, whereas higher self-critical perfectionism (Beta = − 0.61) was significantly associated with less mindfulness. Self-esteem mediated the association between self-critical and narcissistic perfectionism and mindfulness. More perfectionism was significantly and directly associated with less mindfulness and lower self-esteem, whereas higher self-esteem was significantly associated with more mindfulness.

Conclusion

This study provides valuable findings that enable practitioners to effectively identify people needing interventions to improve psychological health through mindfulness, self-esteem and perfectionism. The conclusions that can be deduced from this study can help educational psychologists and counselors guide university students towards effective mindfulness practices that can increase self-esteem levels and balance maladaptive perfectionism that can cause distress and impairment in the social and academic settings.

Perfectionism and Suicidal Ideation

Background: The integrated motivational-volitional (IMV) model of suicidal behavior posits that defeat leads to suicidal ideation through increased vulnerability for feelings of entrapment. One potentially important vulnerability factor for the development of feelings of defeat is socially prescribed perfectionism. Aims: The current study investigated these relationships in a sample of 313 US adults. Method: Mediation and parallel mediation analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between defeat, entrapment, social prescribed perfectionism, negative social comparison, and rejection sensitivity. Results: Findings indicated that socially prescribed perfectionism was significantly related to defeat through both negative social comparison and rejection sensitivity even when controlling for depression symptoms. Negative social comparison and rejection sensitivity were related to entrapment through feelings of defeat. This relationship was strongest when analyzing externalized (vs. internalized) entrapment. Limitations: The findings were limited by the cross-sectional study design as well as the relatively homogeneous sample. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Fear of COVID-19 and Mental Health: The Role of Mindfulness in During Times of Crisis

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on all aspects of individuals' lives, particularly their mental health due to the fear associated with the pandemic. Thus, the current study explored the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and aspects of mental health, namely anxiety and depression, and will consider whether this relationship can be mediated by mindfulness. Data were collected from a student sample of 355 participants (71.5% female and 28.5% male) ranging between 18 and 41 years of age (M = 22.41 ± 3.27), with participants completing a fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the anxiety and depression subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). In terms of the results, correlational analyses indicated that fear of COVID-19 is inversely associated with mindfulness, while positive correlations were found with anxiety and depression. Structural equation modeling analyses demonstrated that mindfulness mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and depression and anxiety. Associated implications are further discussed.

Self-critical perfectionism and lower mindfulness and self-compassion predict anxious and depressive symptoms over two years

This study of 124 community adults examined whether perfectionism interacts with mindfulness and self-compassion to predict anxiety and depressive symptoms over two years. Participants completed measures of self-critical (SC) and personal standards (PS) higher-order dimensions of perfectionism at Time 1; mindfulness and self-compassion domains and facets at Time 2 one year later; and general distress (i.e., shared between depression and anxiety), anxious arousal, and anhedonic depressive symptoms at Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3 two years after baseline. In contrast to PS, SC perfectionism was associated with lower mindfulness and self-compassion domains and facets. Hierarchical regression analyses of moderator effects demonstrated that individuals with higher Time 1 SC perfectionism and lower Time 2 domain mindfulness or self-compassion had higher Time 3 general distress symptoms than others, adjusting for the effects of Time 1 and Time 2 symptoms. SC perfectionism also interacted with specific facets of mindfulness (i.e., observing, nonreactivity) and self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, mindfulness, over-identification) to predict Time 3 general distress and/or anxious arousal symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of fostering mindfulness and self-compassion to reduce vulnerability to anxious and depressive symptoms in individuals with higher SC perfectionism.