The Relationship of Dimensions of Perfectionism with Social Anxiety in Non-Clinical Population

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to examine the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety and the effect of Perfectionism Dimensions (PD) on Social Anxiety Symptom (SAS) levels.The sample of the study consisted of 522 participants aged 18-65 (M 26.20, SD 10.32) who were not diagnosed with anxiety disorder or depression. Data were collected online using the Personal Information Form, the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). SPSS 26.0 program was used for data analysis. Independent Variables T-test Analysis and ANOVA were applied in order to examine the differentiation of the scores obtained from FMPS and LSAS according to demographic variables. Pearson's Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression Analyzes were applied to examine the relationships between the scores obtained from the FMPS and LSAS. MANOVA was applied to determine the differentiation of PD scores according to SAD levels.The findings of the study show that PD and SAS differ according to some demographic variables and there are significant relationships between PD and SAS. It was determined that the participants with high SAS level got higher scores on Concern over Mistakes (CM), Doubts about Actions (DA), Parental Expectations (PA) and Parental Criticism (PC) dimensions compared to participants with low SAS level. CM, DA and PA dimensions were found to be positively significant predictors of SAS. The result of the study shows that individuals with high SAD have dysfunctional beliefs. These beliefs are self-perfectionistic expectations, excessively high standards for social performance, and contingent beliefs about social evaluation. This finding can be interpreted as sub-threshold symptoms for the diagnosis of SAD in the non-clinical population.