A cluster analysis of perfectionism among competitive athletes.
In the present study, the ways in which athletes may experience perfectionism in a sport context were examined. The question of interest was whether self-confidence, intensity, and direction of cognitive and somatic precompetitive anxiety would differ across identifiable profiles of perfectionism. Competitive athletes (N= 166) completed the Sport-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the French-Canadian Hewitt Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised, including a Direction scale. Results of the cluster analysis indicated that athletes could be classified into three groups labelled Nonperfectionists, Adaptive perfectionists, and Maladaptive perfectionists. Perfectionism profiles differed significantly on Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety Intensity and on Cognitive Anxiety Direction. The importance of considering all dimensions of perfectionism simultaneously when examining the functional nature of this construct in sport is discussed.
Martinent
Guillaume
G
Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport, UFRSTAPS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 27-29 Boulevard du 11 Novembre, 69622 Villeurbanne, France. guillaume.martinent@univ-lyon1.fr
Ferrand
Claude
C
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*