Differentiation between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionists based on academic self-efficacy

Abstract

According to the theoretical views, there are different kinds of perfectionists. Following theoretical differentiation, the present study investigated 300 undergraduates and compared adaptive perfectionists (high self-oriented perfectionists, low socially prescribed perfectionists), type A maladaptive perfectionists (high self-oriented perfectionists, high socially prescribed perfectionists), type B maladaptive perfectionists (low self-oriented perfectionists, high socially prescribed perfectionists) and non-perfectionists (low self-oriented perfectionists, low socially prescribed perfectionists) regarding academic self-efficacy. As expected, adaptive perfectionists reported higher levels of academic self-efficacy than both type B maladaptive perfectionists and non-perfectionists. Also, type A maladaptive perfectionists reported higher belief in their capabilities compared with non-perfectionists. The findings show that individuals who have high standards but are unconcerned about others’ evaluation, may well experience self-efficacy for academic tasks. This supports the views of perfectionism that differentiate between positive and negative forms of the construct.