Perfectionism and Physical Ill-Health

he aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perfectionism and medical ill-health in a sample of general population. A correlation analysis was performed to assess the kind of association existing among three dimensions of perfectionism including self-oriented، other-oriented، and socially prescribed perfectionism with ill-health indices including physical symptoms، perceived health، number of medical visits، and number of days sick in bed. A total of 274 volunteers (154 women، 120 men) were included in this study. All participants were asked to complete the Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (TMPS) and the Physical Health Inventory (PHI). Analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics including means، standard deviations، Pearson’s correlation coefficient، and regression analyses. The results revealed that self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were associated with health indices in opposite direction. Other-oriented perfectionism showed negative association only with number of medical visits. It was concluded that self-oriented perfectionism would improve physical health indices through reinforcement of personal motivation، and provocation of mental and physical abilities. Socially prescribed perfectionism would negatively influence physical health indices through imposing high expectations by others which diminish mental and physical abilities in turn.