School satisfaction differentially predicts multidimensional perfectionism one year later

Abstract

Perfectionism is a multidimensional personality disposition comprising different facets that relate differentially to various indicators of psychological and academic functioning. The Integrated Model of the Development of Perfectionism posits that child, parental, and environmental variables influence perfectionism development. So far, environmental influences, e.g., the school environment, have gained only little attention in empirical research. Previous studies showed that school satisfaction influences the development of achievement-related individual differences, thus raising the question how it affects multidimensional perfectionism. The current study investigated school satisfaction as predictor of four facets of perfectionism. 516 German high school students were assessed at two measurement points 1 year apart. School satisfaction positively predicted personal standards (β = 0.13, 95% CI [0.04, 0.22], p = .004) and organization (β = 0.11, 95% CI [0.08, 0.15], p < .001) beyond baseline, negatively predicted doubts about actions beyond baseline (β = −0.08, 95% CI [−0.16, −0.01], p = .038), but did not predict concern over mistakes beyond baseline. The effects of school satisfaction on personal standards and organization, but not the effect on doubts about actions, replicated across different robustness analyses. Our findings showed that school satisfaction differentially predicts the development of perfectionism facets.