Studying Perfectionistic Climates

In studying perfectionism in sport, dance, and other performance environments, researchers have typically conceptualized perceptions of external pressure to be perfect as a reflection of a performer’s perfectionistic personality. However, we believe that when some performers report the experience of external pressure, their experiences are not solely generated internally. Rather, for many performers, they are reporting experiences that are to a much greater degree rooted in the behaviour of others. The major theme forwarded in this chapter is that some performers – regardless of how perfectionistic they are themselves – will have the misfortune of encountering specific others and environments that are highly perfectionistic. We are referring particularly to coaches, teachers and instructors, and clubs, teams, and classes, and how these leaders can imbue these environments with perfectionistic messages and cues. To elaborate on this theme, in the current chapter, we introduce, define, and discuss a new construct that captures the degree to which an environment is perfectionistic – perfectionistic climate.