Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-g4j75 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-12T22:49:40.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Self-criticism, Strivings and Aggressive Behavior in Spanish Children: The Two Sides of Self-Oriented Perfectionism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2019

María Vicent Open the ORCID record for María Vicent [Opens in a new window] ,
Cándido J. Inglés ,
Carolina Gonzálvez ,
Ricardo Sanmartín ,
María Pilar Aparicio-Flores  and
José M. García-Fernández
María Vicent*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Alicante (Spain)
Cándido J. Inglés
Affiliation:
Universidad Miguel Hernández (Spain)
Carolina Gonzálvez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Alicante (Spain)
Ricardo Sanmartín
Affiliation:
Universidad de Alicante (Spain)
María Pilar Aparicio-Flores
Affiliation:
Universidad de Alicante (Spain)
José M. García-Fernández
Affiliation:
Universidad de Alicante (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to María Vicent. Universidad de Alicante. Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y Didáctica. Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Alicante (Spain). E-mail: maria.vicent@ua.es
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between the two intrapersonal perfectionism dimensions (i.e., Self-Oriented Perfectionism-Critical, SOP-C, and Self-Oriented Perfectionism-Strivings, SOP-S) and the components of aggressive behavior (cognitive, emotional and motor) in a sample of 804 (48.3% females) Spanish students between the ages of 8 and 11 (M = 9.57; DE = 1.12). The Spanish versions of the SOP-C and SOP-S subscales of the Child/Adolescent Perfectionism Scale and the Aggression Questionnaire were used. Students with high SOP-C scored significantly higher (p < .001) than their peers with low SOP-C on all components of aggressive behavior. The magnitude of these differences (Cohen’s d index) ranged from .40 to .59. In contrast, non-significant statistical differences were found between students with high and low SOP-S. Moreover, logistic regression analysis revealed that SOP-C significantly and positively predicted high Hostility, Anger and Physical and Verbal Aggression, whereas none of these components were significantly predicted by SOP-S (95% CI). Results are discussed, taking into account the debate on the conceptualization and nature of intrapersonal perfectionism.

Keywords

aggressive behaviorchildhoodSelf-Oriented Perfectionism-CriticalSelf-Oriented Perfectionism-Strivings
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 22 , 2019 , E29
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This research was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación with the project awarded to José Manuel García-Fernández (EDU2012-35124); and the VALi+d Program (ACIF/2014/368), granted to María Vicent

How to cite this article:

Vicent, M., Inglés, C. J., Gonzálvez, C., Sanmartín, R., Aparicio-Flores, M. P., & García-Fernández, J. M. (2019). Self-criticism, strivings and aggressive behavior in Spanish children: The two sides of self-oriented perfectionism. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 22. e29. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2019.29

References

Abi-Habib, R., & Luyten, P. (2013). The role of dependency and self-criticism in the relationship between anger and depression. Personality and Individual Differences, 55, 921–925. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.07.466CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Besser, A., Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2004). Perfectionism, cognition, and affect in response to performance failure vs. success. Journal of Rational Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 22(4), 297–324. http://doi.org/10.1023/B:JORE.0000047313.35872.5cCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blankstein, K. R., & Lumley, C. H. (2008). Multidimensional perfectionism and ruminative brooding in current dysphoria, anxiety, worry, and anger. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 26(3), 168–193. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-007-0068-zCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buss, A. H., & Perry, M. (1992). The Aggression Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(3), 452–459. http://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.63.3.452CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Björkqvist, K. (2018). Gender differences in aggression. Current Opinion in Psychology, 19, 39–42. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.030CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2017). Perfectionism is increasing over time: A meta-analysis of birth cohort differences from 1989 to 2016. Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429. http://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000138CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Maris, A. (2003). Logistic regression. In Schinka, J. A. & Velicer, W. F. (Eds.), Research methods in psychology (pp. 509–532). Nueva Jersey, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Dunkley, D. M., & Blankstein, K. R. (2000). Self-critical perfectionism, coping, hassles, and current distress: A structural equation modeling approach. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 24(6), 713–730. http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005543529245CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunkley, D. M., Blankstein, K. R., & Flett, G. L. (1995). Self-criticism and dependency in relation to anger. Psychological Reports, 76, 1342. http://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1995.76.3c.1342CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunkley, D. M., Zuroff, C. D., & Blankstein, K. R. (2006). Specific perfectionism components versus self-criticism in predicting maladjustment. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 665–676. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.08.008CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fenigstein, A., & Vanable, P. A. (1992). Paranoia and self-consciousness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(1), 129–138. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.62.1.129CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2014). A proposed framework for preventing perfectionism and promoting resilience and mental health among vulnerable children and adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 51(9), 899–912. http://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21792CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flett, G. L., Hewitt, P. L., Besser, A., Su, C., Vaillancourt, T., Boucher, D., … Gale, O. (2016). The Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale: Development, psychometric properties, and associations with stress, distress, and psychiatric symptoms. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 34(7), 634–652. http://doi.org/10.1177/0734282916651381CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García-Fernández, J. M., Vicent, M., Inglés, C. J., Gonzálvez, C., & Sanmartín, R. (2017). Relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and aggressive behavior during late childhood. European Journal of Education and Psychology, 10, 15–22. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejeps.2016.10.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, B. C., Moore, A. M., & Koestner, R. (2017). Distinguishing self-oriented perfectionism-striving and self-oriented perfectionism-critical in school-aged children: Divergent patterns of perceived parenting, personal affect and school performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 113, 136–141. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.069CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herman, K. C., Wang, K., Trotter, R., Reinke, W. M., & Ialongo, N. (2013). Developmental trajectories of maladaptive perfectionism among African American adolescents. Child Development, 84(5), 1633–1650. http://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12078CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hewitt, P. L., Caelian, C. F., Flett, G. L., Sherry, S. B., Collins, L., & Flynn, C. A. (2002). Perfectionism in children: Associations with depression, anxiety, and anger. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 1049–1061. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00109-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hewitt, P. L., Flett, G. L., Turnbull-Donovan, W., & Mikail, S. F. (1991). The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale: Reliability, validity, and psychometric properties in psychiatric samples. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 3(3), 464–468. http://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.3.3.464CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lakens, D. (2013). Calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative science: A practical primer for t-tests and ANOVAs. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, article 863. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00863CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, Y., & Mi, P. (2010). Clusters by perfectionism, affect intensity and emotional clarity and psychological adjustment among adolescents. Asian Journal of Education, 11(3), 181–207.Google Scholar
Macedo, A., Bos, S. C., Marques, M., Maia, B., Soares, M. J., Pereira, T., … Azevedo, M. H. (2009). Perfectionism dimensions in pregnancy-a study in Portuguese women. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 12, 43–52. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-008-0042-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCreary, B. T., Joiner, T. E., Schmidt, N. B., & Ialongo, N. S. (2004). The structure and correlates of perfectionism in African American children. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 33, 313–324. http://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3302_13CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mills, A., Gilbert, P., Bellew, R., McEwan, K., & Gale, C. (2007). Paranoid beliefs and self-criticism in students. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 14, 358–364. http://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.537CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, L., & Lomax, C. (2014). Review: Assessment, development, and treatment of childhood perfectionism: A systematic review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(4), 225–234. http://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12067CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myoung-Ho, H. (2009). The mediating effect of cognitive coping strategies on the relationships between perfectionism and anger expression. The Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 28(1), 97–116. http://doi.org/10.15842/kjcp.2009.28.1.006Google Scholar
O’Connor, R. C., Rasmussen, S., & Hawton, K. (2010). Predicting depression, anxiety and self-harm in adolescents: The role of perfectionism and acute life stress. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 52–59. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2009.09.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oros, L. B., Iuorno, O., & Serppe, M. (2017). Child perfectionism and its relationships with personality, excessive parental demands, depressive symptoms and experience of positive emotions. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 20, E9. http://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2017.9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petersen, I. T., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (2015). Describing and predicting developmental profiles of externalizing problems from childhood to adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 27, 791–818. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579414000789CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piquero, A. R., Carriaga, M. L., Diamond, B., Kazemian, L., & Farrington, D. P. (2012). Stability in aggression revisited. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17, 365–372. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.04.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Powers, T. A., Koestner, R., Zuroff, D. C., Milyavskaya, M., & Gorin, A. A. (2011). The effects of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism on goal pursuit. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 964–975. http://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211410246CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powers, T. A., Milyavskaya, M., & Koestner, R. (2012). Mediating the effects of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism on goal pursuit. Personality and Individual Differences, 52, 765–770. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.12.031CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saleh-Esfahani, F., & Ali-Besharat, M. (2010). Perfectionism and anger. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 5, 803–807. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.188CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santisteban, C., & Alvarado, J. M. (2009). The aggression questionnaire for Spanish preadolescents and adolescents: AQ-PA. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 12(1), 320–326. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1138741600001712CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stoeber, J., Noland, A. B., Mawenu, T. W. N., Henderson, T. M., & Kent, D. N. P. (2017). Perfectionism, social disconnection, and interpersonal hostility: Not all perfectionists don’t play nicely with others. Personality and Individual Differences, 119, 112–117. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.07.008CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoeber, J., Schneider, N., Hussain, R., & Matthews, K. (2014). Perfectionism and negative affect after repeated failure: Anxiety, depression, and anger. Journal of Individual Differences, 35(2), 87–94. http://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000130CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vicent, M. (2017). Study of perfectionism and its relationship with psycho-educational variables during late childhood . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Universitat de Alicante, Spain.Google Scholar
Vicent, M., Inglés, C. J., Sanmartín, R., Gonzálvez, C., & García-Fernández, J. M. (2018). Aggression profiles in the Spanish child population: Differences in perfectionism, school refusal and affect. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12 , 1–9. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00012CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed