Abstract

Occupational Science seeks to understand human occupation, often grouping occupations into categories and considering external factors that influence what people do. The current literature in psychology includes several studies on perfectionism, but there are no studies within occupational science literature. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how perfectionism impacts the occupations of college students studying occupational science and provide a measurable and meaningful depiction of the interaction between these variables. Original research was conducted using a mixed methods approach. The Almost Perfect Scale, Revised (APS-R), developed by Slaney, Mobley, Trippi, Ashby, & Johnson (1996) was administered to a class of Occupational Science (OS) students. The results of this assessment were used to categorize students as perfectionist or non-perfectionist. A smaller sample of students in both groups were selected and time logs of their occupations were compared and analyzed. For the qualitative portion, a follow- up survey with the subgroup of the perfectionists was conducted. The results showed more perfectionists than nonperfectionists among the sample and a slight difference in time spent in pleasurable and productive occupations. These results could be used to promote lifestyle balance among OS students and encourage them to monitor their time to prevent workaholism in future work related endeavors, as well as prevent stress-related health problems. Finally, this knowledge can help future occupational therapists understand perfectionist tendencies of clients.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 2016

Mentor

Renee Causey-Upton

Mentor Professional Affiliation

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Occupational Therapy

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

16-023

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