Multidimensional perfectionism and borderline personality organization in emerging adults: A two-wave longitudinal study

Previous research has linked socially prescribed perfectionism (perceiving perfectionistic expectations from others) with personality dysfunction in clinical and nonclinical samples. However, the mechanism by which socially prescribed perfectionism is related to personality dysfunction is largely unknown. This study sought to test the hypothesis that the relation between socially prescribed perfectionism and personality dysfunction (i.e., borderline personality organization) is explained by problems in self-concept clarity and interpersonal functioning. By assessing 217 emerging adults (67.7% female, Mage = 18.70) across two time points, we found that socially prescribed perfectionism was positively associated with borderline personality organization assessed concurrently and longitudinally. Additionally, socially prescribed perfectionism predicted an increase in borderline personality organization over a three-month period, after controlling for baseline levels of borderline personality organization, depressive symptomatology, and suicidal ideation. Bias-corrected bootstrapped tests of mediation revealed that socially prescribed perfectionism exerted a significant indirect effect on borderline personality organization through its associations with interpersonal problems and a lack of self-concept clarity. The present findings shed further light on perfectionism as an important personality construct underlying personality dysfunction.