The influence of desire for control and perfectionism on the stress-coping process

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a new Desirability for Control (DC) scale that incorporates the condition where the subject of control is both the self and others. Study 1 examined the reliability and the validity of the scale. Factor analysis was performed on the data obtained from 430 college students. The result showed that the DC scale consisting of 26 items had 5 factors. These were Internal control, External control, Decisiveness, Subordinate avoidance, and Preparation-Prevention. The results indicated that the scale had both test-retest reliability and internal consistency. The DC scale had moderate correlations with the Locus of Control scale, the Coronary-Prone Type scale for Japanese student and the Multidimensional Perfectionism scale. In Study 2, the authors examined the influence of desire for control and perfectionism on the stress-coping process. Students with high scores on desire for perfection, concern over mistakes, doubt about actions and external control tended to have higher stress responses. External control was positively related to passive coping. However, Internal control was not directly related to the strength of stress responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)