Conscientious Perfectionism, Self-Evaluative Perfectionism, and the Five-Factor Model of personality traits

The psychometric structure of the Perfectionism Inventory was re-examined, and the relationships among perfectionism traits and broad personality traits were examined in a college sample (N = 390). Results supported the psychometric structure reported by Hill et al. (2004). Additionally, the Self-Evaluative Perfectionism component was moderately correlated with Neuroticism, and the Conscientious Perfectionism component was strongly correlated with Conscientiousness. However, the most accurate picture of perfectionism’s relationship with broad personality traits was found when examining the perfectionism subscales and personality facets. Findings suggest that the instrument’s composite score and component scores are not as meaningful as subscale scores. Implications for future iterations of the DSM and conceptualization of OCPD are discussed.

► Hypotheses posited by Hill et al. (2004) regarding perfectionism and personality were tested.
► Conscientious Perfectionism and Conscientiousness were strongly correlated.
► Self-Evaluative Perfectionism and Neuroticism were moderately correlated.
► Provides support for utilizing subscales and facets rather than composite and component scores.
► Implications for future iterations of the DSM and conceptualization of OCPD are discussed.