Faculty of Social Sciences
http://hdl.handle.net/10464/5992
2024-03-22T07:37:09Z'With texting, I'm always second guessing myself': Teenage perfectionists' experiences of (dis)connection online
http://hdl.handle.net/10464/18346
'With texting, I'm always second guessing myself': Teenage perfectionists' experiences of (dis)connection online
Blackburn, Melissa; Zinga, Dawn; Molnar, Danielle S.
Little is known about how perfectionistic adolescents experience social connection in online spaces. The current qualitative study addressed this gap by examining themes related to social (dis)connection in online and in-person settings from semi-structured interviews with 43 adolescents (Mage = 15.16, SD = 2.43; 62.8% female; 58.1% white; 54.4% self-identified perfectionists). Results demonstrated that perfectionists expressed feeling less connected online than non-perfectionists, likely driven by heightened levels of interpersonal sensitivity. However, a subgroup of perfectionists sought out meaningful online relationships, often in response to a fear or experience of rejection by in-person peers. The results highlight the role of interpersonal sensitivity in fuelling feelings of disconnection among adolescent perfectionists in both online and in-person settings, as well as the importance of self-monitoring in the social experiences of perfectionistic youth.
2024-03-11T00:00:00ZAssessing changes to adolescent health-promoting behaviors following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-methods exploration of the role of within-person combinations of trait perfectionism.
http://hdl.handle.net/10464/18228
Assessing changes to adolescent health-promoting behaviors following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-methods exploration of the role of within-person combinations of trait perfectionism.
Blackburn, Melissa; Methot-Jones, Tabitha; Molnar, Danielle S; Zinga, Dawn; Spadafora, Natalie; Tacuri, Natalie
The current work provides a multi-methods exploration of how within-person subtypes of self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) were related to shifts in health-promoting behaviors among adolescents following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study One tested the 2 × 2 and tripartite models of perfectionism through a quantitative test of how such subtypes predicted changes in health behaviors pre-pandemic to intra-pandemic among 202 adolescents (M = 17.86, SD = 1.421). Results indicated that the combination of high SOP/high SPP was linked to the most maladaptive changes to health-promoting behaviors, supporting the tripartite model. Study Two aimed to contextualize these findings by analyzing semi-structured interviews with 31 adolescent self-identified perfectionists (M = 15.97, SD = 1.991) during the initial lockdown mandate. Results indicated that participants experienced a welcome break and found more time to engage in health-promoting behaviors. However, those high in SOP - regardless of their level of SPP - had more difficulty relaxing due to a resistance to relenting their perfectionistic standards. Altogether, these findings support the exacerbating role of SOP when combined with SPP posited by the tripartite model of perfectionism with respect to adolescents' health-promoting behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZRaising the Bar: Testing Prospective Relationships Between Multidimensional Trait Perfectionism and Undergraduate Academic Achievement
http://hdl.handle.net/10464/18227
Raising the Bar: Testing Prospective Relationships Between Multidimensional Trait Perfectionism and Undergraduate Academic Achievement
Blackburn, Melissa; Puffer, Hanna; Molnar, Danielle S.; Zinga, Dawn
Prospective associations between trait perfectionism and academic achievement among undergraduate students were tested via a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Undergraduate students (N = 316) who were enrolled in the core first- and second-year courses of a social sciences undergraduate program (Mage = 18.01 years, SD = 0.06; 74.86% female) completed surveys on multidimensional perfectionism and authorized the use of institution-verified grades for research. At the between-persons level and in line with previous research, self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) was positively linked with academic achievement whereas socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) was negatively related with academic achievement. At the within-persons level, an increase in academic achievement at the end of students’ first year of university, compared to their own personal mean, predicted an increase in SPP at the midterm of their second year of university, demonstrating that academic achievement may encourage undergraduate students to “raise the bar” via amplifying their perfectionistic tendencies.
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"Assistant Professor with an Asterisk": Conflicting Tensions in the Workplace Experiences and Professional Identities of University Faculty on Fixed-Term Contracts
http://hdl.handle.net/10464/18202
"Assistant Professor with an Asterisk": Conflicting Tensions in the Workplace Experiences and Professional Identities of University Faculty on Fixed-Term Contracts
Gosine, Kevin; Kristofferson, Robert; Skrubbeltrang, Glenn; Webber, Michelle
Drawing on identity work theory and social capital theory, this qualitative study explores how Canadian university faculty on fixed-term contracts construct their professional identities in response to the opportunities and limitations associated with their employment. Study participants generally appreciate their remuneration, relative professional autonomy, the control they have over the products of their labour, and the opportunity to teach at the postsecondary level. Positive aspects of their employment, however, were undercut by various professional limitations. These limitations include job precarity, little acknowledgment of their contributions to their fields or to their universities, limited access to research funding, and the challenge of building bonding (i.e., intra-institutional) social capital. The perceived disconnect between participants' professional qualifications and the precarity of their employment situation further undermines their ability to cultivate positive professional identities. Participants negotiate the contradictory tensions of their employment via one or more of the following adaptive strategies: 1) pursuing research as best they can given prevailing obstacles; 2) making teaching the focal point of their professional identities; and 3) utilizing bridging social capital to create opportunities and forge connections beyond the university. Future research directions are discussed.
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z