The current study examined the associations among trait dimensions of perfectionism, test performance, and levels of positive and negative affect after taking a test. A sample of 92 female university students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale one week prior to an actual class test. Measures of positive affect and negative affect were obtained immediately following the classroom test. It was found that socially prescribed perfectionism is associated significantly with lower positive affect, greater negative affect, and poorer test performance. In contrast, self-oriented perfectionism is associated significantly with higher state positive affect but not with test performance or with state negative affect. Other-oriented perfectionism is associated significantly with both positive affect and enhanced test performance. The results are discussed in terms of the need to examine trait dimensions of perfectionism within the context of ongoing and actual performance outcomes experienced by perfectionistic students.
La présente étude a examiné les associations entre les modalités des traits du perfectionnisme, la performance des individus dans le test et les niveaux d'affect positif et négatif après la prise d'un test. Un échantillon de 92 étudiantes d'universités a complété l'échelle multidimensionnelle de perfectionnisme une semaine avant le test réel. Des mesures de l'affect positif et négatif ont été obtenues immédiatement après le test. Il a été constaté que le perfectionnisme socialement prescrit est associé avec un niveau d'affect positif plus faible, un niveau d'affect négatif plus élevé et à une performance plus faible de l'étudiante dans le test. Par contre, le perfectionnisme orienté vers soi est associé avec un plus haut niveau d'affect positif d'état, mais n'est pas associé avec les performances des étudiantes dans le test ou avec l'affect négatif d'état. Le perfectionnisme orienté vers les autres est à la fois associé à l'affect positif et à de meilleures performances des étudiantes dans le test. Les résultats de l'étude sont discutés en fonction de la nécessité d'examiner les modalités des traits du perfectionnisme dans le contexte des résultats en cours et réels des performances vécues par des étudiants perfectionnistes.
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