Perfectionism is accelerating over time: A cross-temporal meta-analytic review of 35 years of college student data.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Meta-analysis of observational studies; graded Level 1 by design analogy, not clinical CEBM.
PubMed 42207657 · doi:10.1037/bul0000518
What was done
Authors conducted a cross-temporal meta-analysis examining 35 years of data across 307 samples of 82,939 American, Canadian, and British college students. They evaluated temporal trends in multidimensional perfectionism (self-oriented, socially prescribed, personal standards, concerns over mistakes, doubts about actions) and higher-order dimensions (perfectionistic strivings and concerns). They also tested associations with macro-economic indicators (gross domestic product per capita and inequality) and evaluated whether relationships between perfectionism and psychopathology changed over time.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or statistical values. Directionally, it reported: - Self-oriented perfectionism, concerns over mistakes, and doubts about actions increased linearly. - Socially prescribed perfectionism followed a quadratic trajectory, accelerating in the early 2000s. - Perfectionistic strivings increased linearly, whereas perfectionistic concerns followed a quadratic trajectory. - Declining gross domestic product per capita was associated with higher perfectionistic strivings, and rising inequality was associated with steeper increases in perfectionistic concerns. - Correlations between perfectionism and psychopathology remained stable over time.
Why it matters
This review demonstrates that college students are increasingly experiencing both self-imposed and externally perceived pressure to be perfect alongside heightened doubt and mistake sensitivity, with trajectories linked to macroeconomic shifts.
Limits
Findings are restricted to college students from three Western countries (USA, Canada, UK) and cannot be generalized to community populations, non-students, or non-Western nations. Macro-economic associations are ecological and cannot confirm individual-level causal mechanisms. The abstract provides no quantitative effect sizes or uncertainty bounds.
Cited by
- supports Research indicates that perfectionistic concerns (fear of failure, indecisiveness, fear of negative evaluation) have increased at a faster rate over time than perfectionistic strivings.