Effects of Multidimensional Perfectionism and Career Preparation Behavior According to Gender of College Students on Career Decision Level

Abstract

This study examines the impact of college students' multidimensional perfectionism on their career decision level through career preparation behavior. In particular, the purpose of this study was to identify the functions of college students' perfectionism tendencies, such as self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and socially imposed perfectionism, to determine what effect they have on career preparation behavior and career decision level. Based on previous research, career preparation behavior was selected as a mediating factor that affects the relationship between college students' multidimensional perfectionism tendency and career decision level to verify the research problem. The subjects of the study were 433 college students, and data were collected through an online survey. Basic analysis was performed using SPSS to confirm the relationship between variables, and mediation effects were verified using Process macro. Looking at the analysis results, first, based on the impact of multidimensional perfectionism on career preparation behavior, we confirmed that socially imposed perfectionism had a positive influence on male students, and self-oriented perfectionism had a positive effect on female students. When looking at the influence of multidimensional perfectionism on the level of career decision-making, we can see that self-oriented perfectionism had a positive influence and socially imposed perfectionism had a negative influence for both male and female students. Second, looking at the mediating effect of career preparation behavior between college students' multidimensional perfectionism tendency and career decision level, we confirmed that self-oriented perfectionism had a negative mediating effect only for male students, and other-oriented perfectionism was found to have a negative mediating effect only for male students as well. Also, this study confirmed that socially imposed perfectionism was effective, but that it had a positive mediating effect only for female students. Based on the results of this study, which showed that the multidimensional perfectionism tendencies (self-orientation, other-orientation, and social imposition) according to gender of college students have different effects on the level of career decision-making through career preparation behavior, implications and suggestions for follow-up research were discussed.