Cross-Cultural Validity of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale in Korea

This study with 213 South Korean college students (113 men) examined the cross-cultural generalizability of (a) the factor structure of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (F-MPS) and (b) the existence of adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, and nonperfectionists. A confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original six-factor model of the F-MPS with 35 items. Subsequently, an exploratory factor analysis along with parallel analysis suggests five factors in Korea: Concern Over Mistakes, Organization, Parental High Standards, Personal Standards, and Doubts About Actions. Notably, Parental Expectations and Parental Criticism in the original F-MPS were subsumed under one factor, Parental High Standards. A cluster analysis results provides additional support for the existence of the three groups. Cultural implications are discussed.