Are Asian Cultural Values Correlated with Perfectionism Scores in University Students?

Perfectionism manifests differently across cultures, with Asian cultural values (such as collectivism, high standards, and authoritarian parenting) potentially contributing to increased perfectionism by emphasizing group honor and imposing high expectations in resource-constrained environments. This study aimed to examine two research questions: (1) whether the endorsement of Asian cultural values is positively correlated with perfectionism dimensions, and (2) whether the mean levels of perfectionism differ across three different groups (Asian-born students, students with at least one parent born in Asian countries, and non-Asian-born students). A total of 581 university students were recruited through posters and the SONA system to complete a 30-minute online survey. We measured Asian cultural values using the Asian Value Scale-Revised (AVS-R) and the Triandis & Gelfand's Individualism and Collectivism Scale, and assessed perfectionism by the Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS), the Frost et al. (1990) ’s parental expectations (PS) and parental criticism (PC) subscales. Through using correlation matrix, we found significant positive correlations between Asian values and perfectionism (rigid, self-critical, narcissistic, PS, and PC), where narcissistic perfectionism had the biggest correlation coefficient. By using Welch’s ANOVAs, we found significant differences for narcissistic perfectionism, but not for rigid or self-critical perfectionism. The findings suggested that not all types of perfectionism are equally shaped by cultural contexts, calling for more studies using various methods to explore the mechanisms behind the relationships between perfectionism and culture. The results emphasized the importance for mental health professionals and educators to consider different cultural backgrounds when evaluating perfectionistic behaviours in the future.