The “Good Enough” Parent: Perfectionism and Relationship Satisfaction Among Parents and Nonparents

Abstract

Relationship satisfaction has profound implications for psychological and physical well-being, yet it significantly decreases while couples are raising children. Perfectionism—the tendency to expect perfection from oneself, others, and/or to perceive expectations of perfection as coming from others—has generally been associated with lower relationship satisfaction. In a sample of 382 married and/or cohabitating U.S. adults, this study found that the interpersonal dimensions of perfectionism (partner-oriented perfectionism and partner-prescribed perfectionism) were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, while self-oriented perfectionism was positively associated with relationship satisfaction. Raising children was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, and moderated the association between partner-prescribed perfectionism and relationship satisfaction; the negative association was significant for both groups, but stronger for those raising children than those not raising children. This study highlights the importance of addressing perfectionism in intimate relationships, particularly for couples raising children, and informs possible interventions with couples and families.

Contribution of the alternative model for DSM-5 personality disorders to relationship satisfaction

“…Notably, this association has been observed both at high levels of Neuroticism and at very low scores, suggesting a curvilinear relationship between Neuroticism and relationship dissatisfaction (6). Moreover, other specific maladaptive personality traits such as psychopathy and perfectionism have also been identified as potential factors contributing to relationship dissatisfaction (7,8). Conversely, other personality traits, like Conscientiousness, in both partners have been associated with greater relationship satisfaction (9).…”

Personalidade Perfeccionista e o Relacionamento Conjugal: uma revisão sistemática

“…Em seguida foi realizada uma leitura preliminar dos resumos dos artigos, para verificar se o material era pertinente a esta revisão sistemática.Figura 1. Fluxograma detalhado de seleção de artigos Os artigos selecionados são internacionais, sendo o primeiro artigo de 2017 realizado na Malásia(Foo, Hassan, Talib, & Zakaria, 2017), o segundo artigo de 2018 realizado na Alemanha(Faber & Schlarb, 2018) e o último artigo também de 2018, realizado nos Estados Unidos(Trub, Powell, Biscardi, & Rosenthal, 2018).Para mensurar as variáveis foram utilizados os instrumentos: Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, Dyadic Almost Perfect Scale, Marital Satisfaction Scale e Conunseling Help-seeking Attitudes. Os dados foram analisados com o Software AMOS e SPSS para análises de variância multigrupos, test-t, análises de variância e cálculo de ponto de corte para divisão de grupos.…”