From Perfectionism to Burnout: Testing of a Serial Mediation Model with Self-Esteem and Workaholism

Abstract

In the literature, even though the role of perfectionism has been examined in various fields of study including psychology, education, sports sciences, counseling and medicine, studies which have focused on this concept in work life from an organizational point of view are scarce. In the past, perfectionism has been examined as a negative concept, yet recently it is being studied as a multi-dimensional construct in terms of both its positive and negative aspects. In light of current research, this study examined perfectionism with its adaptive and maladaptive dimensions and focused on the relation between these dimensions and self-esteem, workaholism and burnout, with the goal of contributing to the literature on employee well-being. In literature, despite the existence of studies that showed the association between perfectionism and burnout, there is a scarcity of research conducted on the mediating variables between these two constructs. This paper examined how perfectionism relates to burnout in the workplace by investigating the mediating role of self-esteem and workaholism and the relationship between these two constructs using a serial mediation model. A self-report questionnaire of key constructs was provided to a sample of 224 (63.4% women) Turkish employees. Correlation analyses and serial mediation analyses were conducted to test the proposed relations and mediating hypotheses. According to the results, maladaptive perfectionism is strongly related to burnout, to the extent that the mediational effects of self-esteem and workaholism are cancelled in the process. Adaptive perfectionism, however, does not have a direct effect on burnout, though it yielded a significant relationship with it through the mediation of self-esteem and workaholism. However, the total indirect effect for serial mediation between adaptive perfectionism and burnout was found to be insignificant. The findings add to the current literature findings by shedding light on the relationship between perfectionism and burnout as well as revealing the underlying mechanisms linking these two concepts.