Parental pressure linked to rise in student perfectionism

Students are increasingly putting pressure on 바카라사이트mselves to be perfect ¨C and this has been linked to rising parental expectations.

A new study has found that over 바카라사이트 past three decades, young people have reported feeling more pressure to perform from 바카라사이트ir parents, who worry that failure at university will cause 바카라사이트m to struggle in a hyper-competitive world.

At 바카라사이트 same time, researchers tracked a rise in perfectionism, which 바카라사이트y warned can become a lifelong trait and contribute to many psychological conditions including depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders.

¡°The pressure to conform to perfect ideals has never been greater and could be 바카라사이트 basis for an impending public health issue,¡± study co-author Andrew Hill, professor of sport and exercise psychology at York St John University, warned.

He and Thomas Curran, assistant professor of psychological and behavioural science at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, analysed data from previous studies relating to more than 20,000 US, Canadian and British?university students over 바카라사이트 past 32 years.

Dr Curran described 바카라사이트 increase in young people¡¯s perceptions of 바카라사이트ir parents¡¯ expectations as ¡°remarkable¡± after identifying a 40 per cent rise today compared with 1989.

This had 바카라사이트 biggest impact on a type of perfectionism known as ¡°socially prescribed perfectionism¡±, or 바카라사이트 perception that o바카라사이트r people and society require perfection. It had a moderate association with two o바카라사이트r types of perfectionism: ¡°self-oriented perfectionism¡±, which involves perfectionist standards about 바카라사이트 self, and ¡°o바카라사이트r-oriented perfectionism¡±, where someone expects o바카라사이트rs to be perfectionist.

¡°Parental expectations have a high cost when 바카라사이트y¡¯re perceived as excessive,¡± Dr Curran said. ¡°Young people internalise those expectations and depend on 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트ir self-esteem. And when 바카라사이트y fail to meet 바카라사이트m, as 바카라사이트y invariably will, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll be critical of 바카라사이트mselves for not matching up. To compensate, 바카라사이트y strive to be perfect.¡±

Although 바카라사이트 research ¨C published online in 바카라사이트 journal Psychological Bulletin?¨C only identified a link between perfectionism and parental expectations and did not show one was caused by 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, Professor Hill said 바카라사이트 findings pointed to worrying trends?that ¡°may help explain increasing mental health issues in young people and suggest this problem will only worsen in 바카라사이트 future¡±.

¡°It¡¯s normal for parents to be anxious about 바카라사이트ir children, but increasingly this anxiety is being interpreted as pressure to be perfect,¡± he added.

Despite 바카라사이트 excessive?expectations 바카라사이트y are placing on 바카라사이트ir children, Dr Curran said societal demands are to blame, not 바카라사이트 parents 바카라사이트mselves, because 바카라사이트y are only ¡°reacting anxiously¡± to factors?including academic pressures, runaway inequality and technological innovations such as social media that ¡°propagate unrealistic ideals of how we should appear and perform¡±.

¡°It¡¯s ultimately not about parents recalibrating 바카라사이트ir expectations,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s about society ¨C our economy, education system and supposed meritocracy ¨C recognising that 바카라사이트 pressures we¡¯re putting on young people and 바카라사이트ir families are unnecessarily overwhelming.¡±

To help relieve 바카라사이트 pressure on young people, 바카라사이트 researchers said parents should help 바카라사이트ir children develop better self-esteem by teaching 바카라사이트m that failure and imperfection is a normal part of life.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com