Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Perfectionism is classified into general perfectionism and specific perfectionism, with physical appearance perfectionism belonging to the latter category. Research on physical appearance perfectionism in China is relatively scarce. Earlier studies primarily focused on the broader concept of perfectionism. Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by setting extremely high standards and pursuing perfection, coupled with concerns about making mistakes and fear of negative evaluation. From an adaptive and maladaptive perspective, perfectionism can be divided into 完美主义担忧 (perfectionistic concerns) and 完美主义追求 (perfectionistic strivings) (Stoeber & Otto, 2006). The former is centered on worries about mistakes and fears of negative feedback, specifically including socially prescribed perfectionism, doubts about actions, concerns about mistakes, fears of negative evaluations from others, and negative reactions to imperfection. The latter focuses on setting high personal standards and striving for perfection (Sirois et al., 2017). The distinction between these two dimensions is important because perfectionistic concerns (maladaptive) are positively correlated with maladaptive behaviors and many negative emotions. It has been shown that perfectionistic concerns play a significant role in the development and maintenance of various psychological disorders, such as social anxiety (Egan et al., 2011) and eating disorders (Farstad et al., 2016). Conversely, perfectionistic strivings (adaptive) are positively related to adaptive coping and many positive emotions (Sirois et al., 2017). This indicates that perfectionism has both adaptive and maladaptive aspects.

Authors and Contact Email

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Purpose

To measure individuals’ tendencies toward perfectionism related to their physical appearance.

Test Year

2012

Administration Method and Scoring

The Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale (PAPS) is based on the special perfectionism developed by Yang et al. (2012), which was originally established by Zhang Xiaoyan et al. (2007). It measures the tendency for perfectionism regarding appearance and consists of two dimensions: 担心不美 (Worry About Imperfection) and 希望完美 (Hope For Perfection). The scale includes a total of 12 items with a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 represents “strongly disagree” and 5 represents “strongly agree.” It has shown stable reliability and validity among Chinese university students (Yang & Stoeber, 2012).

Reliability and Validity

In Tu Ya’s study, the Cronbach α coefficients for the Worry About Imperfection and Hope For Perfection subscales were 0.87 and 0.82, respectively. The total score’s Cronbach’s alpha is 0.83, with specific reliability scores of 0.85 for Worry About Imperfection and 0.80 for Hope For Perfection.

Factors and Subscales

1. 担心不美 (Worry About Imperfection)
2. 希望完美 (Hope For Perfection)

Keywords

Physical Appearance Perfectionism, Perfectionism, Worry About Imperfection, Hope For Perfection, Psychological Disorders

Items in Chinese

1. 我对自己的长相不满意。
2. 我希望自己外形完美。
3. 无论我怎么打扮，我的外表都无法让我高兴。
4. 我希望自己外表很吸引人。
5. 我担心自己的外表不够好。
6. 我希望自己有让人羡慕的外表。
7. 我希望自己很有魅力。
8. 我真希望在外表上能脱胎换骨。
9. 我的外表与我的预期相去甚远。
10. 我担心人家评价我的外表。
11. 我经常想到自己外表的不足。
12. 我希望自己长得很漂亮/英俊。

Items in English

1. I am not satisfied with my appearance.
2. I hope my body shape is perfect.
3. I am never happy with my appearance no matter how I dress.
4. I hope that I look attractive.
5. I worry that my appearance is not good enough.
6. I hope others admire my appearance.
7. I hope others find me attractive.
8. I wish I could completely change my appearance.
9. My appearance is far from my expectations.
10. I worry about others being critical of my appearance.
11. I often think about shortcomings of my appearance.
12. I hope I am handsome/beautiful.

References

涂雅.大学生外表完美主义与外表满意度的关系：外表反刍思维的中介作用及干预[D].浙江大学,2023.DOI:10.27461/d.cnki.gzjdx.2023.000542.
Yang H, Stoeber J. The physical appearance perfectionism scale: Development and preliminary validation[J]. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 2012, 34: 69-83.