PERFECTIONISM AT YOUNGER ADOLESCENTS: ASSOCIATIONS WITH DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ANXIETY

Abstract

Although it has been determined that childhood and adolescence are the most important periods for the development of perfectionism, there are few empirical data on perfectionism in general, as well as on its relation to anxiety, available for this population. Due to that, the goal of our research was to question the relation between perfectionism and anxiety among younger adolescents. The research has been conducted among students of two elementary schools in Mostar (N=200). The following instruments were applied: Questionnaire on socio-demographic features, Adaptive/maladaptive perfectionism scale (Rice & Preusser, 2002); Children and adolescents perfectionism scale (Flett, Hewitt, Boucher, Davidson & Munro, 2000) and Fears and anxiety scale for children and adolescents - SCAD-62 (Vulić-Prtorić, 2004). Based on the relation between perfectionism and anxiety measures and its contribution to explanation of anxiety, the following dimensions turned out to be maladaptive: sensitivity to mistakes, need for admiration, organisation and order and socially prescribed perfectionism. Contingent self-esteem and self-oriented perfectionism stand out as adaptive.