Comparing Self-Compassion, Sense of Coherence and Positive Thinking in the Students with and without Clinical Perfectionism

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare self-compassion, sense of coherence and positive thinking in students with and without clinical perfectionism. Method: The present study is a causal-comparative method. The statistical population of the study consisted of all female students of the 10th and 11th grade students of Rasht city in the academic year of 2017-2018 (N=6500). From these students, 900 individual were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling method and complemented the Stoeber clinical perfectionism scale. Using a clinical perfectionism questionnaire, 121 students with a high score of clinical perfectionism (cut-off point 8 and more) and 121 students (less than cut-off point 8) as without clinical perfectionism were identified and selected. Eventually, the participants responded to Neff self-compassion questionnaires, Antonovsky sense of coherence and Ingram positive thinking. Findings: The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference between students with and without clinical perfectionism in terms of self-compassion, sense of coherence and positive thinking, so that the mean scores of self-compassion, sense of coherence and positive thinking are lower in students with clinical perfectionism compared to students without clinical perfectionism. Discussion & Conclusion: The findings support the difference between self-compassion, sense of coherence and positive thinking in students with and without clinical perfectionism. So that, students with clinical perfectionism have less self-compassion, sense of coherence and positive thinking. Thus, the attention of counselors and specialists to these variables in programs of prevention, pathology, counseling and therapy in students with clinical perfectionism is important.