09 Aug Perfectionism Leads To Faster Burnout

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Andrew P. Hill, Ph.D, CPsychol, FBASES, FHEA
Associate Professor and Head of Taught Postgraduate Programmes
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
York St John University
York UK

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Hill: Our research examines the effects of perfectionism in a wide range of contexts and for a number of outcomes. We are particularly interested in the perfectionism-burnout relationship. Perfectionism is a characteristic that is more common than you might think, everyone seems to know someone who is a perfectionist. Burnout is the result of stress and, anecdotally, people seem to be finding modern life more stressful.

The main finding was that perfectionistic concerns, a core feature of perfectionism that reflects doubts and fears relating to the consequences of failure, was positively related to burnout in the workplace, sport, and education. This relationship was stronger in the workplace.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Hill: In an imperfect world, being a perfectionist is stressful and if perfectionists aren’t able to develop strategies to deal with stress, it is likely to have a detrimental effect on health. Perfectionists require particular attention in terms of stress related health problems.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Hill: We need more longitudinal research so to examine the perfectionism-burnout relationship over time (i.e., weeks, months, and years). We also need intervention studies aimed at reducing perfectionism fueled burnout.

Citation:

Andrew P. Hill, Thomas Curran. Multidimensional Perfectionism and Burnout: A Meta-Analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, July 2015 DOI: 10.1177/1088868315596286

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Andrew P. Hill, Ph.D, CPsychol (2015). Perfectionism Leads To Faster Burnout 

Last Updated on August 9, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD