Perfectionism among Chinese Gifted and Nongifted Students in Hong Kong: The Use of the Revised Almost Perfect Scale

Abstract

This study investigated the structure of perfectionism based on the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised with a sample of 320 gifted students aged 7 to 12 and a sample of 882 nongifted students of similar ages in Hong Kong. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses across the two student groups supported a common three-dimensional model that included constructs of high personal standards, order and organization, and perception of discrepancy between standards and performance. Both a rational approach and an empirical clustering procedure yielded three clusters of students interpreted as unhealthy perfectionists, nonperfectionists, and healthy perfectionists. Unhealthy perfectionists had pervasively high scores on all three dimensions, healthy perfectionists had high scores on standards and order and low scores on discrepancy, and nonperfectionists had pervasively low scores on all three dimensions. Implications of the findings for future research on perfectionism and the promotion of positive perfectionism are discussed.