The role of standards and discrepancy perfectionism in maladaptive consumption

Perfectionism has been conceptualized as a multidimensional construct, and two of its key dimensions entail striving for high performance standards and focusing on the discrepancy between one’s standards and actual performance. Our investigation examines the role of these two dimensions in maladaptive consumption. Results across six studies investigating both trait and state perfectionism across various maladaptive domains support our account that discrepancy-based perfectionism is associated with higher levels of maladaptive consumption than standards-based perfectionism. Additionally, results indicate that feelings of shame and guilt explain these differential effects, with discrepancy perfectionism associated with higher levels of shame and standards perfectionism associated with higher levels of guilt.