Are perfectionistic strivings beneficial or detrimental to well‐being and achievement? Tests of procrastination and emotion regulation as moderators

Bibliographic Data

ID7160299
AuthorsTanja Lischetzke (0000-0002-4326-5127, Department of Psychology University of Kaiserslautern‐Landau Landau Germany, corresponding author), Gloria Grommisch (0000-0002-3573-2055, Department of Psychology University of Kaiserslautern‐Landau Landau Germany), Elisabeth Prestele (0000-0001-5740-1671, Department of Psychology University of Kaiserslautern‐Landau Landau Germany), Christine Altstötter‐Gleich (Department of Psychology University of Kaiserslautern‐Landau Landau Germany), Christine Altstötter–Gleich (University of Kaiserslautern)
Year2025
Volume93
Issue3
Pages614-632
Publication date2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3506 • E-ISSN: 1467-6494
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jopy.12955
PMID38881405
OpenAlexW4399751930
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited62

OBJECTIVE: Researchers have called for an approach that examines the conditions under which perfectionistic strivings (PS) may be beneficial or detrimental to psychological functioning. We adopted a self-regulation perspective and tested whether individual differences in self-regulation (procrastination, emotion regulation) moderate PS's relationships with achievement and well-being in an academic/work-related achievement context. METHOD: A sample of 183 preservice teachers participated in a study that combined "traditional" longitudinal assessment (six performance situations over a 9-month period) with repeated ambulatory assessment (measuring well-being, procrastination, and emotion regulation during a total of 910 preparation phases that preceded performance situations). RESULTS: Mean levels of achievement, well-being, and emotion regulation were found to be stable over time, whereas procrastination decreased on average across preparation phases. Results from latent variable interaction models indicated that individual differences in intraindividual change in procrastination over time moderated the relationship between PS and well-being (but not achievement) in the expected direction: The less individuals decreased in procrastination over time, the more negative the relationship between PS and well-being was. Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence of a moderating effect of emotion regulation. CONCLUSION: The study contributes to a nuanced perspective on the adaptiveness of PS

Cognition · Cognitive reappraisal · Context (archaeology) · Developmental psychology · Expressive Suppression · Perfectionism (psychology) · Perspective (graphical) · Procrastination · Time perspective · Clinical Psychology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Workaholism, burnout, and well-being

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