Perfectionism and Emotional Intelligence: A Person-Centered Approach

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Emotional Intelligence Research

Background:

• Perfectionism, characterized by concerns and strivings, is a significant trait in adolescent development.
• Emotional intelligence (EI) encompasses emotional attention, clarity, and mood repair, crucial for psychological well-being.
• Understanding the interplay between perfectionism and EI is vital for identifying potential mental health risks in adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between perfectionistic concerns (PC) and perfectionistic strivings (PS) with emotional intelligence (EI) subcomponents.
• To identify distinct profiles of perfectionism among Ecuadorian adolescents using a latent class person-centered approach.
• To examine how different levels of perfectionism relate to emotional attention, clarity, and mood repair.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 1582 Ecuadorian adolescents (ages 12-18) participated in the study.
• The Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) assessed EI subcomponents, while the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS) measured PC and PS.
• Latent class analysis was employed to identify distinct perfectionism classes.

Main Results:

• A three-class solution emerged: High perfectionism, moderate perfectionism, and nonperfectionism.
• Adolescents in the High perfectionism class demonstrated significantly higher emotional attention compared to moderate and nonperfectionism classes.
• Effect sizes for these differences were small to moderate.

Conclusions:

• High perfectionism in adolescents is associated with heightened emotional attention.
• This increased attention to negative mood states may predispose individuals to maladaptive emotional self-regulation strategies, such as rumination.
• Findings highlight the importance of addressing perfectionistic tendencies to mitigate risks for emotional dysregulation in youth.