The development and validation of the Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate an instrument to identify perfectionistic children and measure the adaptiveness of their perfectionistic behavior. The scale has been entitled the Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale (AMPS). During a preliminary study, the initial AMPS was field tested and revised with 64 fourth and fifth grade students. Subsequently, 10 judges evaluated and confirmed the content validity of the instrument. Following the preliminary investigation, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, the AMPS was administered to 301 fourth and fifth grade students to explore the continuum of adaptive to maladaptive perfectionism and to initially confirm the construct validity and reliability of the scale. In Study 2, the AMPS was administered to 293 fourth and fifth grade students in order to replicate Study 1 and to further demonstrate the validity of the scale. The results of the principal-components factor analysis indicated that 36 AMPS items loaded on four factors called Organized Anxiety, Sensitivity to Mistakes, Contingent Self-Esteem, and Perceived Self-Importance. Estimates of internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability were very strong for both studies. The normal distribution of perfectionists' scores on the AMPS provided preliminary evidence that childhood perfectionism ranges from adaptive to maladaptive. Furthermore, the tests of convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity sustained empirical support for the continuum of perfectionism and demonstrated that the AMPS was measuring adaptive to maladaptive perfectionism. The findings suggest that future research in the measurement of childhood perfectionism should include the assessment of both the positive and negative aspects of children's perfectionistic behavior.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Rice, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Academic guidance counseling|Elementary education|Educational evaluation
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