Subotypes Of Perfectionism

Despite several measures of perfectionism has been developed from distinct theoretical basis (Flett & Hewitt, 2002; Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990; Slaney, Rice, & Ashby, 2002) researchers agree that this construct has two core aspects. The positive dimension of perfectionism comprises the possession of high standards while the negative dimension of perfectionism involves an excessive concern about falling short of these standards (Rice & Slaney, 2002). Thus, perfectionism can be understood as a personality trait characterized by an interaction between these positive and negative features.

Correlational and group-based approaches

From a methodological perspective, there are two major approaches to studying perfectionism. The correlational

Added to the classical distinction among subtypes (Rice & Slaney, 2002), Gaudreau and Thompson (2010) suggested a new model of perfectionism (the 2 x 2 model) resulting from the interactions between both dimensions of this construct. These authors proposed a new subtype of perfectionists arising from the combination of low standards but high evaluative concerns. They hypothesized that purely self-critical perfectionists (SC) would get more negative results compared with others subtypes, given that lower levels of standards do not ameliorate the relationship between evaluative concerns and negative outcomes (Gaudreau, 2012). The debate about the relevance of this fourth subtype has barely begun, but there is previous work that points to the need for studies that can confirm this (Alden, Ryder, & Mellings, 2002). Rice, Ashby, and Gilman (2011), for instance, indicated that perhaps this group should not be considered perfectionist since subjects do not describe themselves as having standards of excellence. However, several studies have reported that this subtype should be taken into account (Boone, Soenens, Braet, & Goossens, 2010; Wang, Slaney, & Rice, 2007). Following this line, if there are differences between the SC group among other subtypes (MP, AP, and NP), therapeutic work with these clients should be adapted. Indeed, this particular SC subtype possibly gains less benefit with current treatments of perfectionism (Lloyd, Schmidt, Khondoker, & Tchanturia,