Proceedings of GREAT Day Volume 2015 Article 9 2016 Perfectionism, Social Support, and Social Anxiety in College Students Kate Hesler SUNY Geneseo Follow this and additional works at: https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/proceedings-of-great-day Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Hesler, Kate (2016) "Perfectionism, Social Support, and Social Anxiety in College Students," Proceedings of GREAT Day: Vol. 2015 , Article 9. Available at: https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/proceedings-of-great-day/vol2015/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the GREAT Day at KnightScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Proceedings of GREAT Day by an authorized editor of KnightScholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Hesler: Perfectionism, Social Support, and Social Anxiety in College Stud Perfectionism, Social Support, and Social Anxiety in College Students Kate Hesler ABSTRACT The study examined the role of socially prescribed perfectionism on social anxiety and perfectionistic self- presentation behaviors in college students. One hundred twenty-nine students at a public liberal arts college completed questionnaires assessing their trait perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation, social anxiety, and perceived social support. The results found direct relationships between socially prescribed perfectionism and social anxiety, and between socially prescribed perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation. The results indicate conceptual, although not statistically significant, evidence for social support moderating the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and social anxiety. There was neither conceptual nor statistical support for a social support interaction on the association between socially prescribed perfection- ism and perfectionistic self-presentation. The findings suggest that perfectionistic college students are likely to engage in maladaptive impression management behaviors. College students who strive for perfection to please others and who have low levels of social support may also be at risk of developing social anxiety. PURPOSE erates such a relationship between perfectionism and ocial anxiety disorder is one of the most common social anxiety, and between perfectionism and perfec- mental health problems for college students in tionistic behaviors. Perhaps the relationship between the United States and affects 15 million Ameri- perfectionism and social anxiety and the relationship Scan adults (Anxiety and Depression Association of between perfectionism and unhealthy behaviors is America, 2010). Social anxiety disorder is the fear of most problematic for students lacking significant so- social interaction, including the fear of being evalu- cial support at college. The question at hand, there- ated or judged. Since the transition from living at fore, has to do with the factors affecting the perfec- home with parents while in high school to living sur- tionism, perfectionistic behaviors, and social anxiety rounded by peers while at college involves a signifi- in college students. cant uprooting from an individual’s life, students are quite vulnerable to the stresses of college. Social anxi- LITERATURE REVIEW ety is a serious problem for undergraduates because it is often associated with other mental disorders, such Perfectionism Defined as depression (Kuzel, 1996) and alcohol dependency Hewitt and Flett (1991) suggest perfectionism is a (Schry & White, 2013). Social anxiety is also associ- personality trait that can occasionally be a positive ated with several cognitive behaviors and effects such factor in adjustment and achievement but is predom- as stress (Smith, Ingram, & Brehm, 1983), procrasti- inantly viewed as a “pervasive neurotic style” (p. 456). nation (Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990), Adjustment difficulties of perfectionism include set- and personality traits like perfectionism (Flett, End- ting exact and unrealistic standards, striving to attain ler, Tassone, & Hewitt, 1994; Hewitt & Flett, 1991). such standards, overgeneralization of failure, critical In the present study, the goal is to determine whether self-evaluations, and “a tendency to engage in all-or- perfectionistic students may be at risk of developing none thinking whereby only total success or total social anxiety during college and whether perfection- failure exists as outcomes” (Hewitt & Flett, 1991, ism is associated with certain maladaptive behaviors. p. 456). Perfectionism has been associated with vari- This will involve examining how social support mod- ous negative outcomes like feelings of failure, shame, and low self-esteem. Perfectionism has been linked This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Published by KnightScholar,Kate Hesler. 2016Perfectionism, social support, and social anxiety in college students. The Proceedings of GREAT Day(2015): 21-34. 1 22 Proceedings of GREAT Day, Vol. 2015 [2016], Art. 9 to several forms of psychopathology like alcoholism personal perfectionistic behaviors directed from the (Hewitt, Norton, Flett, Callander, & Cowan, 1999), individual toward significant others; these perfection- depression (Flett et al., 1994), narcissistic personal- ists, therefore, set exact standards for others, place ity (Watson, Varnell, & Morris, 1999), and suicidal importance on others being perfect, and stringently ideation (Hewitt, Flett, & Weber, 1999). evaluate others (Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Socially pre- scribed perfectionism involves the perceived need to Domains of Perfectionism attain exact standards and expectations to be perfect Perfectionism is a multidimensional construct and prescribed by others. In an article published in 1993, can be either adaptive or maladaptive (Dunkley, Frost et al. state that socially prescribed perfection- Blankstein, Halsall, Williams, & Winkworth, 2000; ism is the most maladaptive form of perfectionism Terry-Short, Glynn Owen, Slade, & Dewey, 1995; and is the most related to psychopathology (as cited Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Perfectionism can be both in Saboonchi & Lundh, 1997); it is associated with positive, in which perfectionism relates to achieve- evaluative concerns perfectionism when perfection- ment and positive consequences, and negative (or ists engage in concern over making mistakes, doubt neurotic), in which perfectionism is a function of about the quality of their actions and performance, avoiding negative consequences (Terry-Short et al., and concern about other people’s evaluations and 1995). Dunkley et al. (2000) suggest that perfec- criticism of them (Dunkley et al., 2000). tionism can be broken down into personal stand- Perfectionistic self-presentation is another maladap- ards perfectionism, resembling the adaptive type, tive form of perfectionism since it demonstrates an and evaluative concerns perfectionism, resembling interpersonal personality style that is pervasive and the maladaptive type. According to a 1990 study by persistent (Hewitt et al., 2003). Buss and Finn re- Hewitt and Flett, adaptive perfectionism includes port that perfectionistic self-presentation involves positive perfectionistic behaviors, such as setting an individual’s expression of perfectionistic behavior high standards that match an individual’s limitations (as cited in Hewitt et al., 2003). There are individual and strengths and engaging in balanced thinking differences among perfectionists in terms of their (as cited in Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Adaptive perfec- levels of trait perfectionism on self-oriented, other- tionism can be indicated by standards and order, or- oriented, and socially prescribed dimensions but also ganization, and personal standards (Dunkley et al., in terms of the need to appear perfect and avoid im- 2000). The aforementioned 1990 study by Hewitt perfection to other people in public situations. Cer- and Flett also states that maladaptive perfectionism tain perfectionists engage in impression management creates maladjustment in perfectionistic individuals involving “self-presentational attempts to create an who exercise inflexibly high standards beyond nor- image of perfection in public situations,” or an ideal mal expectations, determine their self-worth based public self (Hewitt et al., 2003, p. 1303). Hewitt et on their performance, and engage in total thinking al. (2003) propose that perfectionistic self-presenta- of their performance as either perfection or failure (as tion can help distinguish salient differences between cited in Hewitt & Flett, 1991). individuals who demonstrate similar levels of trait Hewitt and Flett (1991) propose three domains, or dimensions of perfectionism. Despite scholars such traits, of perfectionism: self-oriented perfectionism, as Schlenker and Weigold who suggest both positive other-oriented perfectionism, and socially prescribed and negative aspects of perfectionistic self-presenta- perfectionism. Self-oriented perfectionism is closely tion (as cited in Hewitt et al., 2003), Hewitt et al. related to personal standards perfectionism and in- (2003) maintain that perfectionistic self-presentation volves several self-directed perfectionistic behaviors is associated with interpersonal and personal distress like setting exact standards and critical self-evalua- for the perfectionist. tion (Hewitt & Flett, 1991; Dunkley et al., 2000). The three facets of perfectionistic self-presentation It should be noted that