Hill, Andrew P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6370-8901 and Curran, Thomas (2019) A case for multiple pathways to increasing perfectionism: A response to Soenens and Vansteenkiste (2018). Psychological Bulletin, 145 (4). pp. 433-435.

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Abstract

We respond to Soenens and Vansteenkiste (2018) commentary on our meta-analysis that evidenced increases in college students’ perfectionism from 1989 to 2016. In speculating on possible reasons for the increase, we argued that increases in anxious and controlling parenting could partly account for this trend. Soenens and Vansteenkiste argue that in doing so we did not differentiate between parental control-as-structure and parental control-as-pressure, with only the latter being important for the development of perfectionism. They also argue that when this distinction is made, research suggests that parental control-as-pressure is decreasing. Finally, they caution for the risk of parent blame. In our response, we acknowledge the potential importance of the distinction between parental control-as-structure and parental control-as-pressure but note that so far this distinction has not been common in perfectionism research. We also acknowledge that the evidence provided by Soenens and Vansteenkiste could be suggestive of declining control-as-pressure. However, we highlight that our arguments hinged on a wider array of evidence that placed changes in parental behaviour in context of broader social change and multiple pathways to increases in perfectionism. We close our response by agreeing that parents are not to blame for increasing perfectionism.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	"©American Psychological Association, 2019. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000189"
Status:	Published
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000189
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/3737

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