Parental Changes may Contribute to Perfectionism

Perfectionism in college students are associated with rising parental expectations as per a study published by the American Psychological Association.

Parental expectations had a larger impact than parental criticism on self-oriented and other-oriented perfectionism, so parental expectations may be more damaging than parental criticism.

‘Societal changes have fostered an increase in parental pressures over the past 30 years, with rising parental expectations linked with perfectionism in college students.’

"Perfectionism contributes to many psychological conditions, including depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders," says lead researcher Thomas Curran, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and behavioral science at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The study analyzed more than 20,000 American, Canadian and British college students. It was found that young people's perceptions of their parents' expectations and criticism have increased over the past 32 years and are linked to an increase in their perfectionism.

"Parental expectations have a high cost when they're perceived as excessive. Young people internalize those expectations and depend on them for their self-esteem. And when they fail to meet them, as they invariably will, they'll be critical of themselves for not matching up. To compensate, they strive to be perfect. These trends may help explain increasing mental health issues in young people and suggest this problem will only worsen in the future," says Curran.

The study thereby suggests that parents may help their children navigate societal pressures in a healthy way by teaching them that failure, or imperfection, is a normal and natural part of life, Curran said.

Source: Medindia