Social anxiety is characterized by fear of social situations, where an individual fears being negatively evaluated by others. Perfectionism involves setting excessively high standards and being overly critical of oneself.
Perfectionism may contribute to social anxiety, as individuals with perfectionistic tendencies may fear not meeting their high standards in social situations, leading to heightened anxiety.
Investigating the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety is important because understanding how specific dimensions of perfectionism relate to social anxiety can inform the development of targeted treatment interventions.
By addressing perfectionistic tendencies in the treatment of social anxiety, individuals may experience greater symptom relief and improved overall functioning.
Clarifying this relationship can also contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that maintain social anxiety.
Ferber, K. A., Chen, J., Tan, N., Sahib, A., Hannaford, T., & Zhang, B. (2024). Perfectionism and social anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cps0000201
Key Points
The main findings of this meta-analysis on the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety include:
- Large to very-large associations were found between social anxiety and dimensions of perfectionism related to perfectionistic concerns, such as socially prescribed perfectionism, doubts about actions, concerns over mistakes, and discrepancy, as well as self-presentational perfectionism.
- Perfectionism dimensions like age, sex, and type of social anxiety did not moderate the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety, while region moderated the association between perfectionistic strivings and social anxiety.
- Sample setting should be considered when understanding how dimensions of perfectionism relate to social anxiety.
- The research sheds light on the importance of perfectionism in social anxiety, which may inform the future development of interventions targeting perfectionism in social anxiety.
Rationale
Perfectionism and social anxiety are distinct psychological phenomena, yet are thought to be related.
Previous research has consistently shown that individuals with social anxiety disorder exhibit higher levels of perfectionism compared to control groups (Antony et al., 1998; Juster et al., 1996; Wheeler et al., 2011).
However, different dimensions of perfectionism appear to show differing relevance to social anxiety, highlighting the need to consider the extent of these relationships.
Synthesizing the available evidence can offer a comprehensive understanding of the overall strength and pattern of associations between different dimensions of perfectionism and social anxiety.
This knowledge may further contribute to the development of interventions for social anxiety that target specific dimensions of perfectionism.
Method
This study employed a systematic review and meta-analysis approach to examine the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and social anxiety.
Procedure
The systematic search was conducted using the databases PsychINFO, Medline, and Embase.
Dual screening occurred during both title and abstract and full-text screening phases. Data extraction was conducted by two coauthors.
Sample
The samples investigated in the studies were predominantly females.
All populations were included, representing a range of demographic variables including age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and clinical and nonclinical populations.
Measures
Various well-known measures of perfectionism (e.g., the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale) and a range of other inventories of perfectionism were included.
Social anxiety was measured using well-known scales such as the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale, as well as other standardized measures of social anxiety.
Statistical measures
A multilevel structural equation modeling approach was used with a three-level random effects model to enable heterogeneity to be explored both within- and between-study.
Moderation analyses were conducted when there was evidence of at least moderate heterogeneity.
Results
The findings showed large to very-large associations between social anxiety and dimensions of perfectionism related to perfectionistic concerns, namely socially prescribed perfectionism, doubts about actions, concerns over mistakes, and discrepancy, as well as self-presentational perfectionism.
Explorative moderation analysis suggests that individual differences such as age, sex, and type of social anxiety did not moderate the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety.
Region moderated the association between perfectionistic strivings and social anxiety.
Insight
This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between different dimensions of perfectionism and social anxiety.
The findings suggest that beliefs about others expecting perfection, tendencies to doubt one’s own actions, concerns over making mistakes, and beliefs about needing to present oneself perfectly are particularly relevant to social anxiety.
These results extend previous research by clarifying the magnitude of the relationships between specific perfectionism dimensions and social anxiety.
Future research could explore the interplay and mechanisms occurring in these dimensions of perfectionism and how they may contribute to social anxiety.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- The study employed a rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis approach, allowing for a comprehensive and unbiased synthesis of the available evidence on the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety.
- The inclusion of a wide range of well-established perfectionism and social anxiety measures ensured a comprehensive assessment of these constructs and enhanced the generalizability of the findings.
- The exploration of potential moderators, such as age, sex, region, social anxiety type, and sample setting, provided a more nuanced understanding of the factors that may influence the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety.
- The use of a multilevel structural equation modeling approach with a three-level random effects model allowed for the examination of heterogeneity both within and between studies, strengthening the robustness of the findings.
Limitations
Despite strengths, this study also came with several limitations, including:
- The predominance of female participants in the included studies may limit the generalizability of the findings to more diverse populations and highlights the need for future research to examine potential gender differences in the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety.
- The exclusion of non-English studies due to limitations in language translatability and uncertainty regarding their quality may have resulted in the omission of potentially relevant findings from non-English speaking populations.
- The predominant use of cross-sectional and correlational research designs in the included studies precludes the establishment of causal relationships between perfectionism and social anxiety, emphasizing the need for future research employing longitudinal and experimental designs to clarify the directionality of this relationship.
- While the study included a range of moderators, some moderator analyses may have been underpowered due to the limited number of studies available for certain subgroups, suggesting a need for caution when interpreting these findings and highlighting the need for further research in these areas.
Implications
The findings underscore the importance of considering the influence of individual differences, such as perfectionism, within models of social anxiety. Addressing perfectionism may be valuable in the treatment of social anxiety.
Interventions such as cognitive behavior therapy for perfectionism have been found to significantly reduce symptoms of perfectionism, as well as symptoms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorder symptoms (Robinson & Wade, 2021).
References
Primary reference
Ferber, K. A., Chen, J., Tan, N., Sahib, A., Hannaford, T., & Zhang, B. (2024). Perfectionism and social anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cps0000201
Other references
Antony, M. M., Purdon, C. L., Huta, V., & Swinson, R. P. (1998). Dimensions of perfectionism across the anxiety disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(12), 1143–1154. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00083-7
Juster, H. R., Heimberg, R. G., Frost, R. O., & Holt, C. S. (1996). Social phobia and perfectionism. Personality and Individual Differences, 21(3), 403–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(96)00075-X
Robinson, K., & Wade, T. D. (2021). Perfectionism interventions targeting disordered eating: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(4), 473–487. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23483
Wheeler, H. A., Blankstein, K. R., Antony, M. M., McCabe, R. E., & Bieling, P. J. (2011). Perfectionism in anxiety and depression: Comparisons across disorders, relations with symptom severity, and role of comorbidity. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 4(1), 66–91. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2011.4.1.66
Keep Learning
Here are some reflective questions related to this study that could prompt further discussion:
- How might the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety differ across cultures, and what cultural factors could influence this relationship?
- Considering the findings of this meta-analysis, what specific interventions or therapeutic techniques might be most effective in addressing perfectionism in the context of social anxiety treatment?
- Given the cross-sectional and correlational nature of most studies included in this meta-analysis, what types of research designs could help establish causal relationships between perfectionism and social anxiety?
