The Relationship Between Academic Procrastination and Different Dimensions of Perfectionism: The Role of Self-Critical, Rigid, and Narcissistic Perfectionism in College Students

The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between different characteristics of perfectionism and academic procrastination in college students. The participants were 226 college students (N male = 113, N female = 113) from various colleges across the country. The data was collected using The Big Three Perfectionism Scale-Short Form and Tuckman Procrastination Scale. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient and Stepwise Linear Regression were used to analyse the data in SPSS. The results showed a significant positive correlation between academic perfectionism and total perfectionism, self-critical perfectionism, and narcissistic perfectionism. The stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that self-critical perfectionism was a key predictor of academic procrastination, after controlling for the suppressor variable of rigid perfectionism. The inclusion of rigid perfectionism as a suppressor variable enhanced the predictive power of the model, suggesting that it may be an underlying factor contributing to academic procrastination. The study highlights the importance of considering the multidimensionality of perfectionism when examining its relationship with procrastination. Furthermore, the finding that rigid perfectionism acted as a suppressor variable underscores the need to investigate the distinct contributions of various aspects of perfectionism to psychological outcomes. These results have significant implications for understanding and addressing academic procrastination. Interventions aimed at reducing procrastination should focus on addressing underlying perfectionistic tendencies, specifically those related to self-criticism and narcissism. The present study provides insight into the relationship between perfectionism and academic procrastination and highlights the need for further research to fully understand the complex interplay between these variables.