Maladaptive Perfectionism in Asian International Students

Abstract

Because of the increased pressure on Asian international students to fit into American society while still maintaining ties to their country of origin, maladaptive perfectionism is very prominent in these students. This study’s purpose was to investigate the impact of diversity on acculturation in addition to acculturation and parental influence on maladaptive perfectionism in Asian international students. A survey consisting of the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students and The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale was sent out to all willing Asian international students. A preliminary analysis was conducted to analyze the impact of diversity on acculturative stress, and a multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the impact of parental influence and acculturation on maladaptive perfectionism. These analyses revealed that diversity has a positive effect on acculturative stress and when comparing parental influence and acculturation, parental influence has a greater impact on maladaptive perfectionism. Based on the current gap in research, these findings provide vital evidence regarding the positive impact of diversity in the process of acculturation.