Self-oriented, Other-oriented, and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism in Iranian EFL Teachers: Relationship with Burnout and Engagement

Many teachers suffer from stress and burnout. Perfectionism is one of the personality characteristics associated with increased stress, maladaptive coping, and burnout. This study aimed at identifying the associations between three dimensions of perfectionism (self-oriented, other-oriented, & socially prescribed), three components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment), and three components of engagement (vigor, dedication, & absorption) in English teachers in Iran. To carry out the study, a sample of 167 teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) working in language institutes, universities, and public schools in different cities in Iran completed a battery of questionnaires including the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Pearson correlation analyses were performed on the data. The results indicated that there was a significant negative correlation between burnout and engagement, a significant positive correlation between perfectionism and burnout, and a significant negative correlation between perfectionism and engagement in EFL teachers. The results and implications of this study extend the literature on burnout, perfectionism, and engagement and the relationship between paired members of possible sets and can be of great assistance to EFL teachers and educators in general.