Trait and self-presentational dimensions of perfectionism among women with anorexia nervosa

Trait and self-presentational dimensions of perfectionism were examined in women with anorexia nervosa (AN), a psychiatric control group of women with mood disorders, and a normal control group of women without mental disorders. With one exception, self-report measures and interview measures indicated that, after controlling for self-esteem, depression, and overall psychiatric severity, compared to women with mood disorders, women with AN were distinguished by substantially higher levels of self-oriented perfectionism (i.e., striving to meet one's own perfectionistic expectations), socially prescribed perfectionism (i.e., striving to meet perceived others' perfectionistic expectations), and nondisclosure of imperfection (i.e., avoiding verbal admissions of one's perceived imperfections). Trait and self-presentational dimensions of perfectionism in women with AN are considered in relation to familial environment and identity disturbance.