THE ORIGINS OF PERFECTIONISM IN SPORT, DANCE, AND EXERCISE

This chapter begins identifying those factors which initially stimulated author interest in understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying the influence of perfectionism in sport, for these were the catalyst for author own empirical research and that of a number of graduate students whose research is featured in this text. Subsequently, it will offer some thoughts on how empirical research on perfectionism has influenced the understanding of important motivational processes in sport, dance, and exercise since the first research on perfectionism began to appear in sport psychology journals in the early to mid-1990s. The chapter attempts to identify some notable gaps in the current understanding from which potential avenues for further empirical research will be evident. In a recent study by Nordin-Bates and colleagues they reported that perfectionistic concerns may directly influence the perception of the professional dance training environment as ego oriented.