Relationship of Perfectionism and Hardiness to Stress-Induced Physiological Responses

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of two personality constructs, perfectionism and hardiness, to physiological responses under a stressful situation. One hundred undergraduate students (51 males, 49 females) were asked to complete the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale and the Hardiness Scale. They were then exposed to a psychological stress. The results indicated that negative perfectionism was positively correlated with physiological responses including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, skin conductance, respiratory rate, and heart rate. Hardiness was negatively correlated with physiological responses of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and respiratory rate.