This article by W. Justin Dyer, published BYU Studies 63, no. 4 (2024) explores how perfectionism develops and changes during adolescence.

Key points from this article:

• Development of Perfectionism:
  • Perfectionism tends to increase slightly from age 12 to 18.
  • Discrepancy perfectionism (feeling you are not meeting expectations) and social perfectionism (feeling the need to be perfect for others) follow similar trajectories.
• Perfectionism Trajectories:
  • Youth can be categorized into low, mid, and high perfectionism groups.
  • 34% of youth fall into the low group, 48% into the mid group, and 18% into the high group.
• Influence of Social Media:
  • High social media use is linked to higher levels of perfectionism.
  • 22% of those using social media for three hours daily are high in perfectionism, compared to 13% of those who do not use social media.
• Gender Differences:
  • Girls are more likely to be high perfectionists compared to boys.
  • Nearly twice the percentage of girls are in the high perfectionism group than boys.
• Geographical Differences:
  • Youth in Utah have higher rates of perfectionism compared to those in Arizona and California.
  • 18% of youth in Utah are high in perfectionism, compared to 13% in Arizona and 11% in California.
• Sexual Orientation:
  • Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) have higher rates of perfectionism.
  • 27% of SGMs are high in perfectionism, compared to 14% of non-SGMs.

You can read the text of this article for free at https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/perfectionism-across-adolescence.