Dimensions of Perfectionism, Unconditional Self- Acceptance, and Depression

The current research investigated the associations among dimensions of perfectionism, unconditional self-acceptance, and self-reported depression. A sample of 94 students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire, and a selfreport depression measure. Correlational results indicated that all three trait dimensions of perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism) were associated negatively with unconditional selfacceptance. Also, as expected, depression was associated with relatively low unconditional self-acceptance. Finally, a path analysis revealed that unconditional self-acceptance mediated the association between socially prescribed perfectionism and depression, and other-oriented perfectionism was found to affect depression only indirectly through its association with low levels of self-acceptance. The findings indicate that perfectionists evaluate themselves in terms of a contingent sense of self-worth, and as such, they are vulnerable to psychological distress when they experience negative events that do not affirm their self-worth. This research was supported by a major research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and a sabbatical leave fellowship from York University to the first author. We would like to thank Colleen O’Brien Wood for her assistance with participant recruitment. Address correspondence to Gordon L. Flett, Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada. 120 Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy