The interpersonal expression of perfection: Perfectionistic self-presentation and psychological distress.

Abstract

A concept involving the interpersonal expression of perfection, perfectionistic self-presentation, is introduced. It is argued that perfectionistic self-presentation is a maladaptive self-presentational style composed of three facets: perfectionistic self-promotion (i.e., proclaiming and displaying one's perfection), nondisplay of imperfection (i.e., concealing and avoiding behavioral demonstrations of one's imperfection), and nondisclosure of imperfection (i.e., evading and avoiding verbal admissions of one's imperfection). Several studies involving diverse samples demonstrate that perfectionistic self-presentation is a valid and reliable construct and a consistent factor in personal and interpersonal psychological distress. It is argued that the need to promote one's perfection or the desire to conceal one's imperfection involves self-esteem regulation in the interpersonal context.

Seeking a perfect body look: feeding the pathogenic impact of shame?

“…When dealing with feelings of inferiority, and in order to be accepted by others, individuals may adopt compensatory mechanisms to minimize or avoid the public display of mistakes and to actively promote perfect qualities. This mechanism, conceptualized as perfectionistic self-presentation [30], has been associated with various forms of psychological distress [29] and different clinical conditions, namely depression [e.g., 31,32] and eating disorders [33][34][35][36].…”

Perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms in female university students: the central role of perfectionistic self-presentation

“…The studies' findings are important because perfectionistic self-presentation is closely linked with perfectionism: People high in perfectionism also tend to be high in perfectionistic self-presentation [14]. Moreover, and more importantly, perfectionistic self-presentation has been PERFECTIONISM AND EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMS 5 shown to explain why perfectionism is associated with psychological maladjustment:…”

“…Furthermore, studies have started examining the relations of perfectionistic self-presentation and disordered eating. According to Hewitt and colleagues [14], perfectionistic self-presentation has two central concerns: to promote the impression that one is perfect, and to prevent the impression that one is not. To capture these concerns, Hewitt et al developed a measure differentiating three aspects of perfectionistic self-presentation: perfectionistic self-promotion, nondisplay of imperfection, and nondisclosure of imperfection.…”

“…It includes the avoidance of situations where one's behavior is under scrutiny if this is likely to highlight a personal shortcoming, mistake, or flaw. In comparison, nondisclosure of imperfection is driven by a need to avoid verbally expressing or admitting to concerns, mistakes, and perceived imperfections for fear of being negatively evaluated [14,15].…”

Perfekcjonizm jako dążenie do doskonałości - definicje, typologie, modele

“…Perfekcjonizm przypisywany społecznie jest raczej autoprezentacją perfekcjonizmu i opiera się na motywacji zewnętrznej, czyli pragnieniu stawania się doskonałym. W kontekście wyników powstaje pytanie, czy jest zasadne umieszczenie przypisywanego społecznie perfekcjonizmu w opisywanym modelu, ponieważ P. Hewitt (2003) i tak opracował osobny kwestionariusz dla jego diagnostyki (Perfectionistic Self -Presentation Scale, PSPS).…”