Perfectionism

Perfectionism is defined as striving for unrealistically high goals, combined with a strong self-deprecation when mistakes are made. Previous studies have shown that perfectionism is associated with a variety of mental disorders.  However, there have been very few studies to date on whether and how perfectionism contributes causally to the development and maintenance of mental disorders. We are investigating these questions in various research projects. We are also investigating how perfectionism influences the success of therapy and have developed and/or validated various measurement instruments for perfectionism.

Current research projects

Treating Perfectionism: Developing an Intervention Within Primary Group Psychotherapy Care

Funding: Christoph Dornier Foundation

Project collaborators: Barbara Cludius (University of Bremen), Simon Blackwell (University of Göttingen)

Project lead: Nathalie Claus (University of Bremen)

To investigate perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process, the project will not only examine whether perfectionism can contribute to the development of initial symptoms. It is also of interest what influence perfectionism may have on the course of symptoms when psychological symptoms already exist and affected individuals therefore seek psychotherapeutic treatment.

The existing evidence to date suggests that particularly high levels of perfectionism could be an obstacle to psychotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, new therapy approaches are needed for those affected.

One such new treatment concept for perfectionism is now being developed at the Psychotherapeutic University Outpatient Clinic Across the Lifespan (PULS). The associated research project will investigate whether and how this brief group intervention can contribute to patients’ psychological well-being. The group takes place within the framework of what is known as “basic group psychotherapeutic care” (Gruppenpsychotherapeutische Grundversorgung). This format can be billed to health insurance providers without major bureaucratic effort and therefore represents a low-threshold therapy option. Nevertheless, it has so far been scarcely used by psychotherapists, because scientifically validated therapy concepts for this specific format are lacking. The project is therefore also intended to help close a gap in psychotherapeutic care.

Perfectionism as a coping strategy: To what extent does it mediate between experiences of discrimination and psychological distress?

Project participants: Nadine Kolof (University of Bremen)

Project head: Nathalie Claus (University of Bremen)

Studies show that people who have experienced discrimination (especially members of minority groups) show higher levels of perfectionism. This could indicate that perfectionism serves as a kind of coping mechanism to maintain self-esteem when it is attacked from the outside. This, on the other hand, could provide a possible explanation for how experiences of discrimination translate into psychological distress. However, this connection has hardly been studied to date. There is a lack of data on whether the interaction between experiences of discrimination and perfectionism can actually predict subsequent symptom distress.

Our study examines the prediction of various symptoms through perfectionism and so-called minority stress (i.e., stress experienced due to perceived membership in a social minority). To this end, temporal correlations over a period of four weeks are examined and additional variables such as achievement motivation and self-esteem are also collected (https://osf.io/za7jm/).

Perfectionism as a factor influencing mental health issues during the menstrual cycle

Project participants: Kristina Heinz (LMU, Munich), Larissa Wolkenstein (LMU, Munich)

Project leader: Nathalie Claus (University of Bremen)

Perfectionism can predict symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders over time. These mental health symptoms are often more pronounced during the premenstrual phase, both in people with and without diagnosed premenstrual syndrome. However, a possible link between perfectionism and premenstrual psychological complaints has hardly been investigated to date. Based on previous research on perfectionism, it is conceivable that individuals with a high degree of perfectionism experience a particularly strong increase in anxiety and depression symptoms during the premenstrual phase.

Our study examines the temporal relationships between perfectionism, psychological symptoms, and the respective phase of the cycle in individuals with a natural menstrual cycle (https://osf.io/a74vc). We examine both the relationships between the phase of the cycle and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as the question of whether these relationships are additionally influenced by perfectionism.

Perfection vs. excellence: Does striving for perfection affect mental health and life satisfaction?

Project participants: Tilo Zotschew, Nathalie Claus (University of Bremen)

Project leaders: Barbara Cludius (University of Bremen), Thomas Ehring (LMU, Munich)

Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by people either striving for perfection (“perfectionistic strivings”) or worrying and criticizing themselves when they do not achieve perfection (“perfectionistic concerns”). It is considered a negative factor that can contribute to the development and maintenance of various mental illnesses. However, the connection between perfectionism and mental health problems is less strong for the pursuit of perfection, as this can also have positive effects in other areas.

We want to investigate whether another facet of striving – namely, striving for excellent but not necessarily perfect performance (“excellenceism”) – could explain these positive effects. In contrast to excellenceism, perfectionism means striving for absolute perfection, which requires a disproportionate amount of effort. The positive effects of perfectionism can probably only be assessed in comparison to excellenceism, but perfectionism is often mistakenly compared to “no perfectionism.” Initial studies suggest that perfectionism beyond excellenceism has no positive effects.

In our study, we use this distinction for the first time in the context of mental disorders. We examine how perfectionism and excellenceism are related (a) to symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders, and (b) to domain-specific satisfaction and general life satisfaction (Zotschew et al., 2024).

Current research project:

Perfectionism as a transdiagnostic process: Investigation of perfectionism as a risk factor for several types of psychopathology

Funding: DFG

Project participants: Nathalie Claus (LMU, Munich), Thomas Ehring (LMU, Munich)

Principal investigator: Barbara Cludius (University of Bremen)

Cooperation partners: Karina Limburg (LMU, Munich), Roz Shafran (University College London), Sarah Egan (Curtin University Perth), Keisuke Takano (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba)

To date, it is unclear (a) whether and how perfectionism increases the general risk of psychopathology and (b) how perfectionism can lead to different specific disorders (e.g. OCD in one person and bulimia in another). Therefore, we are interested in investigating possible factors between the transdiagnostic risk factor perfectionism and symptoms of OCD or eating disorders. Within this project, we are conducting a prospective longitudinal study over twelve months (https://osf.io/39nx7/) and two experimental studies (https://osf.io/s45tu/). Within the experimental studies, we manipulate excessive responsibility as a specific factor for OCD and dissatisfaction with the body as a specific factor for eating disorders. We test the influence of perfectionism in relation to the respective factors on the development of symptoms of OCD and eating disorders.

Publications

1. Claus, N., Miegel, F., Jelinek, L., Landmann, S., Moritz, S., Külz, A. K., Rubel, J., & Cludius, B. (2023). Perfectionism as Possible Predictor for Treatment Success in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Metacognitive Training as Third-Wave Treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-023-10361-0

2. Cludius, B., Hummel, J., Limburg, K., Woud, M. L., & Takano, K. (2023). Development and validation of the ambiguous scenario task for perfectionistic concerns for university students. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 79, 101811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101811

3. Hummel, J.*, Cludius, B.*, Woud, M. L., Holdenrieder, J., Mende, N., Huber, V., Limburg, K., & Takano, K. (2023). The causal relationship between perfectionism and negative affect: Two experimental studies. Personality and Individual Differences, 200, 111895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111895 [*geteilte Erstautorenschaft]

4. Cludius, B., Landmann, S., Külz, A.-K., Takano, K., Moritz, S., & Jelinek, L. (2022). Direct and indirect assessment of perfectionism in patients with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. PLOS ONE, 17(10), e0270184. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270184

5. Roth, I., Cludius, B., Egan, S. J., & Limburg, K. (2021). Evaluation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the German version of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire: The CPQ-D. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 3(2), e3623. https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.3623

6. Miegel, F., Moritz, S., Wagener, F., Cludius, B., & Jelinek, L. (2020). Self-esteem mediates the relationship between perfectionism and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences, 167, 110239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110239