Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement goals: a mediation model

This study investigated associations among perfectionism (i.e., perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns), achievement goals, and academic burnout among college students in South Korea, focusing on the mediating role of achievement goals. A total of 281 students enrolled in a non-major psychology course voluntarily completed an online questionnaire. Analyses were performed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that achievement goals significantly mediated the relation between perfectionism and academic burnout. Perfectionistic strivings had a negative effect on academic burnout, through mastery goals (i.e., mastery-approach and mastery-avoidance goals). Specifically, high levels of perfectionistic strivings were linked to high levels of mastery-approach and low levels of mastery-avoidance goals, which were sequentially linked to a low level of academic burnout. Contrastingly, perfectionistic concerns had a positive effect on academic burnout, through mastery-avoidance goals. That is, higher perfectionistic concerns were associated with higher mastery-avoidance goals, which in turn were linked to higher academic burnout. Implications and limitations are discussed.