Perfectionism, Health, and Well-Being

It is well known that personality can confer risk or resilience for health and well-being. A growing body of research supports the idea that perfectionism, (i.e., the setting and striving for unrealistically high standards, accompanied by harsh self-criticism) can negatively impact not only mental health, but also physical health and well-being. This book brings together key perfectionism researchers and theorists to present their latest findings and ideas on how and why perfectionism may confer risk for health and well-being, as well as the contexts which may contour these associations. After presenting an overview of the conceptual and measurement issues surrounding the concept of perfectionism, three sections address the implications of perfectionism for health and well-being. Following a historical account of the role of perfectionism in illness and health problems, the first of these sections provides an overview of research and theory on the associations of perfectionism with health behaviors, stress and coping, and chronic illness. The next section of the book focuses on the cognitive and affective underpinnings of perfectionism as they relate to well-being. The final section of the book explores specific contexts and how they may contour the associations of perfectionism with health and well-being. By presenting the latest theory and research on perfectionism, health, and well-being, this book makes a unique contribution to the perfectionism literature and highlights the need to address the burden of perfectionism for health and well-being.