A matter of needs: Basic need satisfaction as an underlying mechanism between perfectionism and employee well-being

Abstract

AbstractWhy do dimensions of perfectionism have different effects on employees’ engagement, exhaustion, and job satisfaction? Combining the perfectionism literature and self-determination theory, we expected self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) to be differently related to employee well-being through the fulfilment or lack of autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction. We attributed a unique role to autonomy satisfaction in fostering work engagement. Data were collected at 2 time points, with a 3-month interval, in an online study. Several results from path analyses including data from 328 (T1) and 138 (T2) employees were consistent with our expectations. SPP was negatively related to work engagement and job satisfaction via a lack of autonomy satisfaction and positively related to exhaustion via a lack of relatedness satisfaction. Additionally, SOP and SPP showed different associations with competence satisfaction. Overall, our findings highlight the motivational differences inherent in perfectionism that translate into well-being via need satisfaction and unique effects of the three needs.