Perfectionism: Maladaptive and Adaptive
and Spirituality
As a clinician, specializing in
the treatment of persons with spiritual issues in addition to general mental
health conditions, it was not uncommon to see persons struggling with
imperfection and feeling like a failure. This was especially true among clients
associated with fundamentalist beliefs and those faiths with strict behavioral
expectations. And from time to time I saw people with religious obsessions and
compulsions.
A recent study in Psychology ofReligion and Spirituality examines adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in a
sample of Latter Day Saints.
What Can We Learn About the Spirituality of Latter Day Saints (LDS, Mormons)?
The Latter Day Saints (LDS) is an
example of an American religion, which began in the 1800s. Religions specify
beliefs and values as well as expected behavior patterns. In short, many
religions define morality for their adherents. Failure to comply with the
behavioral expectations is often classified a sin. Righteous people are
recognized by their conformity to the moral teachings of their faith tradition. This is true for the broad tradition of Christianity, which dominates the United States, as well as related groups such
as the LDS.
A Recent Study
Who studied what?
Two scientists investigated
factors related to LDS spirituality and wellbeing. G. E. Kawika Allen of
Brigham Young University and Kenneth T. Wang of the University of Missouri
studied 267 women (60%) and men in the Southwestern U.S. Most (97%) were White
and young (Mean age 23.6).
They studied several factors.
Religious commitment- a
commitment to personal and group religious activities
Perfectionism- a measure about
personal performance expectations.
Scrupulosity- the questions
assess obsessive-compulsive spirituality using two scales Fear of Sin and Fear
of Punishment from God.
Depression and Anxiety
Self-Esteem
Satisfaction with Life
What did they discover?
The researchers conducted a
number of analyses. In one aspect of their analysis they classified
participants in terms of perfectionism using three categories:
Nonperfectionists, Adaptive perfectionists and, Maladaptive perfectionists.
Maladaptive perfectionists were very high on scrupulosity. Adaptive
perfectionists were higher in religious commitment compared to nonperfectionists.
How were maladaptive and adaptive
perfectionists different? The adaptive participants were lower in anxiety and
depression, higher in self-esteem, and higher in life satisfaction than were
either the maladaptive perfectionists or the nonperfectionists.
Some implications
The authors suggest several
implications. Here's two.
1. Perfectionism can have both
positive and negative aspects. Thus, the high standards may not be the problem.
2. It may be important to help
LDS persons with a more accurate perspective on God and faith. They expand a
little on this idea – suggesting people may be led to healing and experience
forgiveness.
Notes
The authors offer the usual
cautions about the limited age group and limited research. See the article for
more details.
Obsessive-compulsive patterns can
be extremely annoying and difficult to resolve. An imperfect act viewed as a
sin against a punishing God leads to considerable inner distress for those who
struggle to be perfect as expected.
In my experience, the problem of
maladaptive perfectionism is not limited to members of the LDS community. The problem deserves further study.
Find More on Psychology and Religion
Books and papers on Academia.edu https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton
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Find More on Psychology and Religion
Books and papers on Academia.edu https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton
Psychology and Religion on Facebook
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