ERIC Number: EJ1436090
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: EISSN-1557-5144
Perceived Pressure for Perfection within Friendships Triggers Conflict Behaviors, Depressive Symptoms, and Problematic Drinking: A Longitudinal Actor-Partner Interdependence Model
Andy J. Kim; Simon B. Sherry; Sean P. Mackinnon; Ivy-Lee Kehayes; Martin M. Smith; Sherry H. Stewart
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v42 n6 p635-649 2024
Friendships are important for the mental well-being of emerging adults. Socially prescribed perfectionism, where individuals feel pressured to be perfect by others, can be destructive, leading to conflict with others, depressive symptoms, and problematic drinking. However, its impact on friendships is not well-explored. This study examined 174 emerging adult friendship dyads using a 4-wave, 4-month dyadic design. Data were analyzed using longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models. Using a novel friend-specific measure of socially prescribed perfectionism, we found that an individual's perceived expectation to be perfect from a friend was positively associated with increased conflict between friends, as well as with higher levels of depressive symptoms and problematic drinking in the individual. Findings lend credence to longstanding theoretical accounts and case histories suggesting socially prescribed perfectionism leads to harmful individual and relational outcomes and extends them to the specific context of friendships.
Descriptors: Personality Traits, Personality Problems, Friendship, Conflict, Behavior, Depression (Psychology), Drinking, Longitudinal Studies, Young Adults, Sex, Social Influences
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A