Perfectionism is accelerating over time: A cross-temporal meta-analytic review of 35 years of college student data

Research indicates that perfectionism is on the rise among college students. This study updates and expands on this work in several ways. First, we investigate whether self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism continue to increase in tandem with personal standards, concerns about mistakes, and doubts about actions. Second, we examine generational differences in higher order dimensions of perfectionism (perfectionistic strivings and concerns). Third, we investigate whether changes in gross domestic product per capita and inequality account for temporal differences. Fourth, we test whether relationships between perfectionism and psychopathology are changing over time. Cross-temporal meta-analyses of 307 samples encompassing 82,939 American, Canadian, and British college students revealed that self-oriented perfectionism, concerns over mistakes, and doubts about actions increased linearly. Socially prescribed perfectionism followed a quadratic trajectory, with a notable acceleration starting in the early 2000s. At the higher order level, perfectionistic strivings increased linearly, whereas perfectionistic concerns followed a quadratic trajectory. Declining gross domestic product per capita was associated with higher perfectionistic strivings, while rising inequality was associated with steeper increases in perfectionistic concerns. Furthermore, correlations between perfectionism and psychopathology remained stable over time. Overall, results reveal that college students increasingly perceive others as excessively demanding while becoming more demanding of themselves, accompanied by growing indecisiveness, uncertainty, and sensitivity about making mistakes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).