Perfectionism.

Perfectionism is a transdiagnostic phenomenon observed across a range of psychological conditions, most notably among individuals with clinical anxiety. This chapter provides an overview of this phenomenon, its assessment, and a discussion of how perfectionism serves as a maintenance factor in various forms of clinical anxiety. Perfectionism is a multifaceted construct that interacts with anxiety in different ways, often depending on the particular presentation of anxiety, or anxiety disorder. The chapter helps clinicians recognize when their patients' anxiety is exacerbated by perfectionistic behaviors or beliefs, so that these tendencies can be addressed as part of an integrated treatment plan. Perfectionism, in its various forms, is associated with correlates of anxious psychopathology, such as stress, avoidant coping, and social factors. Moreover, perfectionistic beliefs appear to play a role in generating anxiety. The chapter provides an overview of how anxious psychopathology is maintained by problem perfectionism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)