RESEARCH_FILE
Gordon L. Flett
York University
Known for:Co-developer of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and prolific researcher on perfectionism's role in depression, anxiety, and interpersonal dysfunction
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“If it’s not perfect, it’s worthless”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“My standard exists before the work. A standard that rewrites itself after I finish is not a standard — it's a trap.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Open something you finished in the last week that you told yourself wasn't ready. Read it once without pausing. Note one thing that is genuinely functional or well-done about it. Do not edit. Close it.
Key findings
- 1991
With Paul Hewitt, Flett validated the three-factor MPS across multiple samples, showing that self-oriented perfectionism correlated with achievement motivation while socially prescribed perfectionism was uniquely associated with depression, anxiety, and lower self-esteem. Perfectionism in the Self and Social Contexts: Conceptualization, Assessment, and Association With Psychopathology ↗