Measuring Perfectionism in Cross-Cultural Perspective: The Psychometric Properties of BDPI Measure

Abstract

The article presents the results of an English adaptation of the brief summary of a “Differential Perfectionism Inventory”. The psychometric testing of the adapted version of the measure called Brief Differential Perfectionism Inventory (BDPI) was enacted with the participation of 394 Malaysian students of the Foreign Department of I.M. Sechenov First MSMU (175 males, 219 females; M = 22.01, SD = 2.05). The results showed that BDPI is comprised of two scales similar to the original scale: 1) The Normal Perfectionism Scale assesses setting standards that are high but within reach; 2) The Pathological Perfectionism Scale assesses setting standards beyond reach and reason. The BDPI scales demonstrated a satisfactory internal validity (0.76 for the Normal Perfectionism Scale and 0.71 for the Pathological Perfectionism Scale) as well as a test-retest reliability (0.76 and 0.74, respectively). These scales observed anticipated associations with the measures of perfectionism and psychological well-being. Correlational analysis revealed that normal perfectionism correlates positively with flourishing, spiritual meaning, inspiration, gratitude, personal growth initiative, etc., while pathological perfectionism is associated with wisdom, search for meaning and existence. Overall, the study supported the BDPI as a psychometrically strong measure for express-diagnostics of perfectionism in an English-speaking population.