INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: PERFECTIONISM IN THE SCHOOL CONTEXT

Abstract

This article introduces a special issue ofPsychology in the Schoolson the topic of perfectionism intheschoolcontext.Perfectionismdevelopsandexistswithinacontextofrelationshipswithparents, peers, teachers, coaches, and others. Articles in the current issue reveal how perfectionism or dimensions associated with perfectionism (i.e., parental criticism and perfectionistic self-presentational styles) are related to adolescents’ motivational profiles, participation in sports, social perspective taking, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Additional articles suggest how school professionals might intervene with adolescents with perfectionism. Without such intervention, adolescents with perfectionism may be at increased risk for poor psychological adjustment. Walk through the halls and classrooms of middle and high schools and you see posters with slogans to support mistakes and failure as part of the learning process: The worst thing about a mistake is being afraid to make one. You never fail until you stop trying. Nobody’s perfect .B ut actions speak louder than words, particularly for adolescents. Do schools really embrace mistakes and failure? Isn’t it true that students can try hard, make mistakes and still fail? Do we hand out awards at the end of the school year for Best Student Failure? Or do we revere the students who seem perfect—high grades, stellar athletes, and popular among their peers—as model students in the hopes that other students will strive to be like them? If the latter is the case, the current special issue on perfectionism provides additional insight into the psychology of adolescents with perfectionism. And the news is not good. Perfectionism has been defined as unrealistic and exceedingly high personal standards, hypersensitivity to criticism and mistakes, feeling of being overwhelmed by failure, and rigid all-or-none thinking (Blatt, 1995; Flett, Hewitt, Oliver, & Macdonald, 2002; Stoeber & Otto, 2006). To date, the majority of perfectionism research has been conducted with college students; however, revised measures of perfectionisminthelasttwodecades have increased our knowledge about perfectionism in adolescents. Research findings on perfectionism in adolescents has mirrored research findings in adults: fear of failure and concern over mistakes, in combination with high standards for oneself or imposed by others such as parents, has been associated with low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicide ideation (see Flett & Hewitt, 2012, 2013; Stoeber & Otto, 2006). The research on adolescents reported in the current issue has revealed that perfectionism or diQ1 mensionsassociatedwithperfectionism(i.e.,parentalcriticismandperfectionisticself-presentational styles) are associated with motivational profiles focused on outperforming others (Damian, Stoeber, Negru, & Bu less enjoyment of competitive sports (Mallinson, Hill, Hall, & Gotwals), internalizing problems in low and high socioeconomic status students (Lyman & Luthar), externalizing problems in males (Coren & Luthar), and envy of peers (Lyman & Luthar), perhaps contributing to poor psychological adjustment. Adolescent perfectionists, regardless of dimension held, had higher levels of social perspective taking than did non-perfectionists (Gilman, Rice, & Carboni). These findings indicate that social perspective taking might be a skill that adolescent perfectionists use to check how others view their behavior and performance.