RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFECTION PARALYSIS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WITH MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY AMONG ADULTS

Abstract

Perfection paralysis is a relatively new term in scientific psychology literature. It is a psychological condition that causes significant emotional and behavioral consequences and substantial psychological distress. It commonly influences a person’s productivity and daily living tasks, and a person remains preoccupied with planning the work more perfectly but fails to do any of it. Perfection paralysis stems from perfectionistic concerns, which have previously been well explored as inverse correlates of productivity, well-being, and self-compassion and positive predictors of psychological distress. However, the role of psychological flexibility is empirically supported as a management mechanism for the distress caused by perfectionism. The present study aims to explore the relationship between perfection paralysis and psychological distress, with psychological flexibility as a mediator. Using convenient sampling, N=584 participants were included in the study and assessed using Urdu self-report measures of the Perfection Paralysis Questionnaire (PPQ), Psychological distress, and Psychological Flexibility. Data was statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS V27) and PROCESS Macro (V5.0). The results indicated significant direct and indirect effects and supported the proposed hypothesis signifying the role of Psychological Flexibility as a partial mediator in the relationship between Perfection Paralysis and Psychological Distress. Based on these findings, psychological flexibility is an important pathway through which this process operates and may consequently represent a promising target for interventions aimed at reducing the psychological costs associated with perfection paralysis.