Indirect Measurement of Perfectionism: Construct and Predictive Validity

Abstract

Recent studies have revealed that the prediction of behavior requires the assessment of both explicit and implicit evaluations, which can be measured using direct and indirect measurement procedures respectively. Against this background, two studies were conducted to construct and implement an indirect measure of perfectionism. A Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT) was created to assess the extent to which participants automatically evaluated themselves as achievement striving, in comparison to others. In both studies, the achievement striving and evaluative concerns dimensions of perfectionism were measured using two multidimensional perfectionism questionnaires. Across the two samples, we observed that evaluating one's self-worth on the basis of reaching high standards on an explicit level (as measured by the questionnaires) is significantly associated with evaluating oneself as less achievement striving than others on an automatic level (SC-IAT). Examining the predictive influence of the...