Perfectionism at Work: An Investigation of Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism in the Workplace among Canadian and Turkish Employees

Abstract

Although perfectionism has been studied extensively in clinical and educational settings, it has been relatively ignored in the work context, despite its potential effect on employee well‐being. Therefore, we examined the impact of perfectionism on work engagement, strain, and burnout using two samples of working adults from Canada and Turkey. Setting high standards was associated with higher engagement and lower strain and cynicism. However, setting high standards did not provide a unique contribution when controlling for conscientiousness, achievement striving, and achievement motivation. Perceived discrepancy between high standards and perceived performance was associated with higher levels of strain and burnout. There was a significant interaction between standards and discrepancy, such that low discrepancy was associated with lower strain than high discrepancy regardless of one's level of standards. Furthermore, high discrepancy was associated with higher strain when standards were low than when standards were high. Workers with high standards and low discrepancy (adaptive perfectionism) experienced lower strain than workers with high standards and high discrepancy (maladaptive perfectionism).