The Relationship Between Perfectionism and Depression
The relationship between perfectionism and depression
Abstract
In this study, an investigation into the relationship between perfectionism and depression was carried out using n=452 participants from the Liverpool area (United Kingdom). The level of depression the dependant variable was measured using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (Zigmond, AS; Snaith, RP., 1983), whilst the independent variable perfectionism levels were measured using the Almost Perfect Scale – Revised (Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, Ashby., 2001) to test the correlation between the two. Those who experienced higher in the subscales of perfectionism showed a greater experience in depression than those who scored lower on the perfectionism scales. This indicated a significant correlation between all subscales of perfectionism and depression. This study aims to concentrate primarily on the discrepancy subscale, which shows a very strong correlation with depression through the spearman rho correlation.
Introduction
Depression refers to the low mood of an individual that affects a person’s thoughts, behaviour, feelings and sense of well-being (Salmans., 1997). Feelings such as: emptiness, worthlessness, guilt, anxious and sadness will occur within a depressed individual, interest in sports and other activities can be affected also that were once an enjoyable hobby. Perfectionism is a characteristic of a person striving for excellent standards and high performance in what they do, this is joined by the highly critical self-evaluation and worries regarding other peoples evaluations. Maladaptive perfectionism is the state in which people try to achieve a goal that is unachievable however adaptive perfectionism can motivate a person to reach their goals. Perfectionism is broken down into three sub categories: Socially-prescribed; Self-orientated and Other orientated perfectionism. The maladaptive state is where perfectionism can then start to be linked with depression if goals are not
Abstract
In this study, an investigation into the relationship between perfectionism and depression was carried out using n=452 participants from the Liverpool area (United Kingdom). The level of depression the dependant variable was measured using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (Zigmond, AS; Snaith, RP., 1983), whilst the independent variable perfectionism levels were measured using the Almost Perfect Scale – Revised (Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, Ashby., 2001) to test the correlation between the two. Those who experienced higher in the subscales of perfectionism showed a greater experience in depression than those who scored lower on the perfectionism scales. This indicated a significant correlation between all subscales of perfectionism and depression. This study aims to concentrate primarily on the discrepancy subscale, which shows a very strong correlation with depression through the spearman rho correlation.
Introduction
Depression refers to the low mood of an individual that affects a person’s thoughts, behaviour, feelings and sense of well-being (Salmans., 1997). Feelings such as: emptiness, worthlessness, guilt, anxious and sadness will occur within a depressed individual, interest in sports and other activities can be affected also that were once an enjoyable hobby. Perfectionism is a characteristic of a person striving for excellent standards and high performance in what they do, this is joined by the highly critical self-evaluation and worries regarding other peoples evaluations. Maladaptive perfectionism is the state in which people try to achieve a goal that is unachievable however adaptive perfectionism can motivate a person to reach their goals. Perfectionism is broken down into three sub categories: Socially-prescribed; Self-orientated and Other orientated perfectionism. The maladaptive state is where perfectionism can then start to be linked with depression if goals are not