The effects of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism on goal pursuit

Five separate studies examined the associations of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism with goal pursuit across a variety of domains. although self-criticism has previously been shown to be related to diminished goal progress,a controversy remains regarding the potential association between aspects of positive perfectionism, such as self-oriented perfectionism,and enhanced goal progress. the results of the five studies demonstrated a consistent pattern of negative association between self-criticism and goal progress. the results also showed a positive association between self-oriented perfectionism and goal progress when self-criticism was controlled. the important role of self-criticism for understanding the impact of perfectionistic concerns is highlighted by these results. implications for the debate concerning the possible positive effects of perfectionistic strivings are also discussed. © 2011 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.