Harmful perfectionism in women may be more related to their relationship with their father than their mother, according to a study.
And the same trends in men may be more tied to their relationship with their mother, the researchers found.
The team studied three types of perfectionism: self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed (SPP) perfectionism.
Self-Oriented Perfectionism is when a person demands perfection from themselves, Other-Oriented Perfectionism is the requirement for others to be perfect, and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) is the person’s belief that others Others demand perfection from them.
Are you a perfectionist? Blame your mom and dad! People with overprotective parents are more likely to strive for excellence (file image)
Of the three types, SPP is considered particularly harmful, with much research demonstrating “consistent and strong associations with a myriad of adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and interpersonal problems,” the researchers said. University of British Columbia in Canada.
“People with socially prescribed perfectionism have a perception that others demand that they be perfect,” said lead author Sabrina Ge.
‘”Others” can refer to specific people, for example, a partner or a parent, but it can also refer to people the person does not know, or people in general, for example, the world.’
For their study, psychologists gave 456 participants a questionnaire that assessed their levels of the three different types of perfectionism.
They were asked to rate on a scale how much they agreed with statements measuring self-directed perfectionism, such as ‘One of my goals is to be perfect in everything I do’; other oriented perfectionism, for example, ‘I can’t stand to see people close to me make mistakes’; and SPP, for example, ‘The people around me expect me to be successful in everything I do.’
They were then given another questionnaire, the Parental Bonding Instrument, which assesses a person’s subjective experience of being a parent during their first 16 years.
It assesses two so-called ‘parental bonding behaviours’: parental care, eg my father ‘was affectionate with me’; and parental overprotection, for example, my father ‘tried to control everything he did’.
The researchers found that socially prescribed perfectionism in women was predicted only by high paternal overprotection and low paternal care, but not by maternal overprotection or care (file image)
Participants completed two versions of the questionnaire: one for their mother and one for their father.
Looking at the results together, the researchers found that PPS in women was uniquely predicted by high paternal overprotection and low paternal care, but not by maternal overprotection or care.
And SPP in men was uniquely predicted by high maternal overprotection and low maternal care.
Ms Ge, a postgraduate student in clinical psychology, said the reasons behind the results were unknown, but for women, it could be because they didn’t feel able to be as open with their parents when they were growing up. .
She added: “Some research suggests that, in general, daughters feel more emotionally distant from their parents and have a harder time talking to them, which can create what we call ‘parent-child asynchrony,’ where the underlying needs of a child, like security and warmth, are not met – which can lead to his development of PPS.
‘However, more research is needed on this.
“Regarding the findings on mothers and children, one study suggests that, compared to fathers, mothers may be more involved in their children’s lives, which could thwart their development of autonomy.
“This can lead to children being overly reliant on external validation and self-esteem approval from others, which is seen in SPP.”
The findings are published in Personality and Individual Differences, an Elsevier journal.
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