Abstract

OLIVEIRA, Diana Fernandes; CARMO, Cláudia; CRUZ, José Pestana  and  BRAS, Marta. Perfectionism and attachment representations in young adults. Psicol. Reflex. Crit. [online]. 2012, vol.25, n.3, pp. 514-522. ISSN 0102-7972.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722012000300011.

The relationships established within the family are extremely important in the development of individual personality traits. The goal of this study was to investigate the relation between the development of perfectionism and attachment representations in a sample of 690 young adults, aged between 17 and 30 years old. Participants completed two scales of Self-report Measure of Perfectionism (H-MPS and F-MPS) and the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), as well as a Social-Demographic Questionnaire. Results indicate the existence of a relation between maladaptive perfectionism dimensions and an insecure attachment representation to parents, whereas adaptive perfectionism dimensions seem to be related to a secure attachment representation. The results suggest that one of the contributing factors to the development of perfectionism is the nature of parental relationships and their consequent interactions.

Keywords : Perfectionism; attachment representations; insecure attachment; secure attachment.