Perfectionism, self-concept and self-evaluative emotions in Australian primary school students

![CDATA[Perfectionism is defined as the striving for flawlessness (Flett & Hewitt, 2002), which has both adaptive and maladaptive components (Rice & Preusser, 2002). As the self-worth of perfectionists is contingent upon their performance (Burns, 1980) they constantly engage in self-evaluation and experience considerable variations in emotions (Tangney, 2002). To date most empirical studies on perfectionism have concentrated on the adult population (Frost, Marten, Lahart & Rosenblate, 1990), with little information available on children. This study examined the relationship of perfectionism, self-concept and self-evaluative emotions in Australian primary school students by using age-appropriate instruments. Over 200 students at Years 4, 5, and 6 completed the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS, Flett & Hewitt, 1990), the Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale (AMPS, Rice & Preusser, 2002), the Self-Description Questionnaire I (SDQ-I, Marsh, 1990), and the Test of Self-Conscious Affect for Children (TOSCA-C, Tangney, Wagner, Burggraf, Gramzow & Fletcher, 1990). It has been hypothesized that maladaptive perfectionism will be negatively correlated with students' academic, social and physical self-concept, and positively correlated with the self-evaluative emotions of shame and guilt. Preliminary results support these hypotheses. As developing children's self-worth and emotional well-being are important educational goals, the implications for teachers and school counsellors are discussed.]]