Family of Origin Qualities As Predictors of Religious Dysfunctional Perfectionism (Report‪)‬

This study investigated the interrelationships between perceptions of religious dysfunctional perfectionism (RDP) and family of origin qualities in a sample of religiously active Australian first-year Psychology students at the University of Sydney. General functional and dysfunctional perfectionism was assessed using the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and a specific measure of RDP was developed by means of an adaptation of some of Frost's items. The main findings supported the study's hypotheses: Zero-order correlations indicated that high RDP was significantly associated with high levels of family rigidity, enmeshment and disengagement. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that general functional perfectionism and general dysfunctional perfectionism explained 18% of the variance in RDP. After controlling for both aspects of general perfectionism, extreme family rigidity, enmeshment and disengagement explained a further 18% of the variance in RDP. The significant independent predictors of religious dysfunctional perfectionism were general dysfunctional perfectionism and family rigidity. Implications of these findings for cognitive behavioral treatment of religious dysfunctional perfectionism are discussed. Perfectionism involves a person's tendency to value and pursue excellence, to set and adhere rigidly to extremely high standards, and to examine outcomes in a highly judgmental and critical fashion. In the discipline of psychology, perfectionism was first regarded as being one-dimensional, consisting of a single continuum on which the magnitude of unrealistic expectations and maladaptive concerns could be assessed (Burns, 1980). More recent assessment approaches have adopted a multi-faceted approach in which functional or positive aspects of perfectionism are distinguished from those aspects that are dysfunctional or negative (Frost, Marten, Lahart and Rosenblate, 1990; Hamachek, 1978; Hewitt & Flett, 1991; Hewitt, Flett, Sherry, Habke, Parkin, Lam, McMurtry, Ediger, Fairlie & Stein, 2003; Hill, Huelsman, Furr, Kibler, Vicente & Kennedy, 2004; Terry-Short, Owens, Slade 5c" Dewy, 1995). These approaches define perfectionism as a complex personality trait, and while they vary with respect to the number and labeling of the factors to be assessed, the distinction between functional (adaptive, positive, healthy) and dysfunctional (maladaptive, negative, unhealthy) perfectionism is a common feature of these approaches.