| Summary: | Perfectionism has been related to both adaptive functioning such as positive
achievement striving, as well as to negative outcomes such as procrastination and
depression. Numerous studies, using primarily Caucasian subjects, document a
relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and depression. Few studies have
examined perfectionism in samples from different cultural backgrounds. The present
multidimensional conceptualization and operational definition of perfectionism remains
to be tested in terms of meaningfulness and applicability to other cultural groups.
Therefore the overall aim of the current study is to determine if the Multidimensional
Perfectionism Scale (Hewitt & Flett, 1991) shows evidence of construct validity in a
sample of university students from Chinese cultural backgrounds. Evidence of construct
validity is obtained by investigating similarities and differences between the two cultural
groups in the following: the internal structure of the measure; and the relationships
between the measure and other measures (concurrent validity). Differences in mean
levels of perfectionism between Chinese-Canadian and European Canadian students are
also investigated. Data for 191 subjects are reported for the following measures:
Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Hewitt & Flett, 1991); Multidimensional
Perfectionism Scale (Frost et al, 1990); Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al, 1979);
Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (Suinn et al, 1987); a Background
Information Sheet. Evidence of construct validity and of the previously documented
relationship between socially-prescribed perfectionism and depression was found for the
Chinese-Canadian sample. The current study lends support for using the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Hewitt & Flett, 1991) with Chinese-Canadian
university students. === Education, Faculty of === Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of === Graduate
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