Perfectionism, trait emotional intelligence, and psychological outcomes

• Published in: Personality and individual differences 2015-10, Vol.85, p.155-158
• Main Authors: Smith, Martin M., Saklofske, Donald H., Yan, Gonggu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Perfectionism; Perfectionistic concerns; Perfectionistic strivings; Trait emotional intelligence
• ISSN: 0191-8869; 1873-3549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.05.010

•Test of the mediating effects of TEI on the perfectionism-outcome links.•Diverse sample of 645 participants recruited.•TEI fully mediated the link between perfectionistic strivings and life satisfaction.•TEI partially mediated the link between perfectionistic concerns and criterion. Perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns correlate moderately and positively but exhibit divergent patterns of associations with positive and negative outcomes. Despite accumulated evidence supporting the incremental validity of trait emotional intelligence, over and above the Big Five, the contention that trait emotional intelligence plays a mediating role in the perfectionism-outcome link has yet to be investigated. To address this, 645 Chinese participants completed pencil-and-paper measures of perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, trait emotional intelligence, depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life. Perfectionistic strivings were positively related to trait emotional intelligence while perfectionistic concerns were negatively related to trait emotional intelligence. Moreover, trait emotional intelligence fully mediated the link between perfectionistic strivings and satisfaction with life and partially mediated the link between perfectionistic concerns and depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life. However, perfectionistic strivings’ total effects on depression, anxiety, and stress were non-significant, thus precluding mediation.