The Role of Parenting Styles in Shaping Perfectionism among Young Adults

Abstract

The study examined the role of parenting style – Authoritarian, Permissive, and Authoritative, in the development and shaping of perfectionism among young adults through quantitative research. A structured Google Forms Survey called ‘Parenting Styles and Perfectionism in Young adults’ was conducted and administered on 150 participants, between the age group of 18-25 years from Delhi NCR, on a 5-point Likert scale (1= Strongly Disagree to 5= Strongly Agree), using a correlational research design. Pearson’s correlation analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results indicated that Authoritarian, Permissive, and Authoritative parenting styles showed positive correlations with perfectionism among young adults, as measured using the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) and the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ). Permissive parenting exhibited the strongest association with perfectionism (r = .913, p < .001), followed by Authoritative (r = .907, p < .001) and Authoritarian (r = .693, p < .001) styles. The findings suggest that higher levels of parenting styles are associated with an increase in perfectionistic traits, with varied degrees of influence. Hypotheses 1, 2, and 3 were fully supported. Limitations include a restricted sample size and self-reported data. Future studies should examine gender differences and cultural factors to better understand how early parenting styles shape perfectionistic traits across stages of development.