Two studies explored the meaning of the construct of perfectionism in India. The first study examined the relevance of the Almost Perfect Scale, a measure of the dimensions of perfectionism, for 321 Hindu, Asian Indian students at the University of Delhi. A second study interviewed 5 students and faculty members at the University of Delhi who were selected as potential exemplars of perfectionism. The results of both studies are compared to the results for samples gathered in the United States, and their similarities and differences are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adler, A. (1956). The neurotic disposition. In H. L. Ansbacher & R. R. Ansbacher (Eds.), The individual psychology of Alfred Adler. New York: Harper.
2.
Almeida, R. (1996). Hindu, Christian, and Muslim families. In M. McGoldrick, J. Giordano, & J. K. Pearce (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
3.
Banks, J. A. (1991). Teaching strategies for ethnic studies (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
4.
Barrow, J. C. , & Moore, C. A. (1983). Group interventions with perfectionistic thinking. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 61, 612-615.
5.
Bhagavad-Gita (B. S. Miller, Trans.). (1986). New York: Bantam.
6.
Burns, D. D. (1980, November). The perfectionist’s script for self-defeat. Psychology Today, pp. 34-52.
7.
Dhruvarajan, V. (1990). Ethnic cultural retention and transmission among first generation Hindu Asian Indians in a Canadian prairie city. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 24(1), 63-79.
8.
Frost, R. O. , Marten, P. A., Lahart, C., & Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14, 449-468.
9.
Halgin, R. P. , & Leahy, P. M. (1989). Understanding and treating perfectionistic college students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69, 222-225.
10.
Hamachek, D. E. (1978). Psychodynamics of normal and neurotic perfectionism. Psychology, 15, 27-33.
11.
Hewitt, P. L. , & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 456-470.
12.
Hollender, M. H. (1965). Perfectionism. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 6, 94-103.
13.
Hollender, M. H. (1978). Perfectionism: A neglected personality trait. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 39, 384-394.
14.
Horney, K. (1950). Neurosis and human growth. New York: Norton.
15.
Jayakar, K. (1994). Women of the Indian subcontinent. In L. Comas-Diaz & B. Greene (Eds.), Women of color: Integrating ethnic and gender identities in psychotherapy. New York: Guilford.
16.
Johnson, D. P. , & Slaney, R. B. (1996). Perfectionism: Scale development and a study of perfectionistic clients in counseling. Journal of College Student Development, 37, 29-41.
17.
Joreskog, K. G. , & Sorbom, D. (1988). LISREL 7: A guide to the program and applications. Chicago: SPSS.
18.
Krishna, A. , & Berry, J. W. (1992). Acculturative stress and acculturation attitudes among Indian immigrants to the United States. Psychology and Developing Societies, 4(2), 187-212.
19.
Mitter, S. S. (1991). Dharma’s daughters—Contemporary Indian women and Hindu culture. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
20.
Pacht, A. R. (1984). Reflections on perfection. American Psychologist, 39, 386-390.
21.
Papademetrius, D. G. (1993). Critical issues in the U.S. legal immigration reform debate. In I. Light & P. Bhachu (Eds.), Immigration and entrepreneurship: Culture, capital, and ethnic networks. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishing.
22.
Pirot, M. (1986). Dependency conflicts in high-achieving women: Toward an integration. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 19, 82-87.
23.
Saran, P. (1985). The Asian Indian experience in the United States. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman.
24.
Sethi, R. R. , & Allen, M. J. (1984). Sex-role stereotypes in northern India and the United States. Sex Roles, 11(7-8), 615-626.
25.
Slaney, R. B. , & Ashby, J. S. (1996). Perfectionists: Study of a criterion group. Journal of Counseling and Development, 74, 393-398.
26.
Slaney, R. B. , Ashby, J. S., & Trippi, J. T. (1995). Perfectionism: Its measurement and career relevance. Journal of Career Assessment, 3, 279-297.
27.
Slaney, R. B. , & Johnson, D. G. (1992). The Almost Perfect Scale. Unpublished manuscript, Pennsylvania State University. (Manuscript available from Robert B. Slaney, Department of Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Education, 314 CEDAR, the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-3110)
28.
Smith, H. (1991). The world’s religions: Our great wisdom traditions. New York: HarperCollins.
29.
Sorotzkin, B. (1985). The quest for perfection: Avoiding guilt or avoiding shame?Psychotherapy, 22, 564-571.
30.
Takaki, R. (1989). Strangers from a different shore. Boston: Little, Brown.
31.
Tracey, T. J. , Glidden, C. E., & Kokotovic, A. M. (1988). Factor structure of the Counselor Rating Form-Short. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 35, 330-335.
32.
Uba, L. (1994). Asian American: Personality patterns, identity, and mental health. New York: Guilford.
33.
U. S. Department of Commerce . (1993). We the American Asians. Washington, DC: Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census.
