Parental Behaviour and Attitudes as The Source of Adoslescents’ Perfectionism

The aim of the study was to examine relationships between adolescents’ perfectionism and their parents’ parenting. The research method included the Parental Behaviour and Attitudes Questionnaire – ADOR (Matějček, Říčan, 1983), Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale – MPS (Frost et al., 1990) and Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory – PCI (Flett, Hewitt, Blankstein, Gray, 1998). The research sample consisted of 122 secondary school students aged 16 to 19 (average age 17.37 years), including 44 boys and 78 girls. The main findings of empirical analysis were that there are differences in the relationship between the father’s and mother’s influence on the development of some perfectionism dimensions in their children. The dimensions Concern over Mistakes and Doubts over Action showed a negative significant relationship with the father’s Positive Interest (r = – 0.25**). The relationship was not confirmed in mothers. Concern over Mistakes and Doubts over Action showed a weak significant relationship with Hostility in the father (0.21*) as well as mother (0.25**), and also a moderate relationship with the father’s as well as mother’s Inconsistency (r = 0.25**, r = 0.33**). The dimension Organization showed no relationship with the father’s parenting. In the mother’s parenting, a moderate relationship appeared between Organization and Positive Interest (0.35**).