Eating disorder symptoms and the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism: mixed perfectionism is the most maladaptive combination (original) (raw)

The 2 × 2 model of perfectionism (Gaudreau and Thompson in Personal Individ Diff 48:532-537, 2010) represents an important addition to the perfectionism literature, but so far has not been studied in relation with disordered eating. Using the 2 × 2 model as analytic framework, this study examined responses from a convenience sample of 716 participants aged 19-68 years (71% female) investigating how self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) predicted individual differences in eating disorder symptoms, additionally controlling for body mass index, gender, and age. Results showed a significant SOP × SPP interaction indicating that the combination of high SOP and high SPP-called "mixed perfectionism"-was associated with the highest levels of eating disorder symptoms. The findings demonstrate the utility of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism as an analytic framework for examining perfectionism and disordered eating. Moreover, they suggest that ...