Running head: VALIDATION OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL PERFECTIONISM SCALE

We administered the Dutch Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale of Hewitt and Flett (1991, 2004) in a large student sample (N=959) and performed a confirmatory factor analysis to test the factorial structure proposed by the original authors. The existence of a method factor referring to the negative keyed items in the questionnaire was investigated by including it in the tested models. Next, we investigated how the three perfectionism dimensions are associated with the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality. The three-factor structure originally observed by the authors was confirmed, at least when a method factor that refers to the negatively keyed items was included in the model. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were both distinguished by low extraversion and low emotional stability. Selforiented perfectionism’s positive relationship with both Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience differentiated the two perfectionism dimensions from each other. Other-oriented perfectionism was not well-characterized by the Big Five personality traits.