Page "Perfectionism (psychology)" Paragraph 7

Slaney and his colleagues ( 1996 ) developed the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised ( APS-R ) to identify perfectionists ( adaptive or maladaptive ) and nonperfectionists.

People are classified based on their scores for High Standards, Order, and Discrepancy measures.

Both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionists rate highly in High Standards and Order, but maladaptive perfectionists also rate highly in Discrepancy.

Discrepancy refers to the belief that personal high standards are not being met, which is the defining negative aspect of perfectionism.

Maladaptive perfectionists typically yield the highest social stress and anxiety scores, reflecting their feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

In general, the APS-R is a relatively easy instrument to administer, and can be used to identify perfectionist adolescents as well as adults, though it has yet to be proven useful for children.

Interestingly, in one study evaluating APS-R in an adolescent population, maladaptive perfectionists obtained higher satisfaction scores than nonperfectionists.

This finding suggests that adolescents ' high standards may protect them from challenges to personal satisfaction when their standards are not met.

Two other forms of the APS-R measure perfectionism directed towards intimate partners ( Dyadic Almost Perfect Scale ) and perceived perfectionism from one's family ( Family Almost Perfect Scale ).