Perfectionism in Sport, Dance, and Exercise

Abstract

OverviewPerfect performance, flawlessness, and the perfect body are revered in sport, dance, and exercise. As such, sport, dance, and exercise provide ideal domains in which to study perfectionism. This chapter provides an overview of research that has examined multidimensional perfectionism in these domains. We place particular emphasis on the most recent research in this area and provide suggestions to guide future research. It will be argued that perfectionism is a complex characteristic with particular relevance in sport, dance, and exercise. In addition, in its various guises, perfectionism can be problematic, beneficial, and also ambivalent with regards to motivation, well-being, and performance. To better understand the effects of perfectionism in sport, dance, and exercise, we call for research that adopts longitudinal designs, examines moderating factors, develops and refines measurement tools, and focuses on the influence of perfectionism among exercisers.

Striving for Perfection or for Creativity?

“…The aims of this study were to investigate the extent to which creativity and perfection can be considered compatible aims for dancers; how creativity and perfection can be nurtured and inhibited in dance; and potential relationships among perfectionism, creativity, and basic needs. The strengths of the study are the combination of methods (qualitative and quantitative) and participants (both teachers and students), and the clear links to literature on perfectionism (e.g., Hill et al 2019) as well as SDT (Ryan and Deci 2000). Its limitations include the relatively small sample used to obtain the quantitative data, which also necessitated the use of only basic statistics.…”

“…A limitation of these studies, however, is that perfectionism was captured unidimensionally. To better understand the perfectionismcreativity relationship, multidimensionality is a key consideration; that is, perfectionism comprises two distinct components that, at times, are associated with quite different outcomes (for a review see Hill et al 2019). This multidimensionality could be captured by considering perfectionism as comprising perfectionistic concerns (PC; worries and doubts regarding personal adequacy and mistakes) and perfectionistic strivings (PS; very high or unrealistic goals; wanting to be perfect; Stoeber and Otto 2006).…”

“…In a major review and reanalysis of existing evidence into perfectionism in sport, exercise, and dance, Hill et al (2019) concluded that PC should be considered harmful, because of consistent associations with a range of problems such as anxiety and motivational difficulties. PC were also largely unrelated to performance.…”

“…PC were also largely unrelated to performance. Research into PS, in contrast, has yielded inconclusive evidence (Hill et al 2019). For instance, junior musicians with higher levels of PS have been found to spend more time practicing, achieve higher grades, and win more awards (Stoeber and Eismann 2007).…”

Perfectionism Profiles and Motivation to Exercise Based on Self-Determination Theory

“…Research on perfectionism in sport and exercise has significantly increased during the last 10 years [2]. This growing interest could be partly due to the "perfectionism paradox" [3,4].…”