Introduction to the special issue

The article provides an introduction to the special issue on perfectionism in sport and dance. In it we provide a context for the special issue, our thoughts on how research is progressing in this area, and a brief description of the contributions to the special issue. In doing so, we identify some of the notable features of each study and the new insights they offer. The contributions use qualitative and quantitative methods, both established and contemporary models of perfectionism, and illustrate how to test these models using different analytical approaches. Overall, we believe that the collection of studies attests to the predictive ability of perfectionism in its various guises and affirms the relevance of perfectionism in understanding the experiences of athletes and dancers.