Functional and dysfunctional perfectionists: are they different on compulsive-like behaviors?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychopathology

Background:

• Perfectionism and excessive responsibility are associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Previous research has predominantly focused on the role of responsibility in OCD.
• The specific contribution of different perfectionism styles to OCD-related behaviors requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare compulsive-like behaviors in individuals with functional perfectionism (FP) versus dysfunctional perfectionism (DP).
• To explore specific OC-related behaviors, including doubting, checking, and intrusive thoughts, across different perfectionism styles.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of 16 functional perfectionists (FP) and 16 dysfunctional perfectionists (DP).
• Assessment of OC-type behaviors using three distinct tasks.
• Measurement of task completion time, decision-making under ambiguity, and intrusive thoughts.

Main Results:

• Dysfunctional perfectionists (DP) scored higher on obsessive-compulsive (OC) behavior scales than functional perfectionists (FP).
• DP participants required significantly more time for a precision task and made decisions more quickly when faced with ambiguity.
• Differences in intrusive thoughts were observed, with FP focusing on problem-solving and DP on performance quality.

Conclusions:

• Dysfunctional perfectionism is significantly associated with increased obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
• Perfectionism styles differentially influence cognitive processes relevant to OCD, such as decision-making and rumination.
• Findings contribute to understanding the etiological models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).