Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Cognitive Bias Modification Intervention; Cognitive Psychology; Online Interventions; Perfectionism; Personality

Perfectionism is becoming a more prevalent personality trait that is traditionally considered to be a transdiagnostic precursor for psychopathology (Gaudreau, Louvet, & Kljajic, 2018). A core factor leading to these poor psychological outcomes is a faulty and overly critical thinking process that results in biased interpretations of one's experiences (Rozental et al., 2017). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) addresses this core factor and attempts to alter the interpretative process of perfectionists, such that self-evaluations in light of failing to meet one's expectations will have fewer negative consequences (Dodd et al., 2019). Recently, researchers have been interested in assessing the efficacy of a highly accessible, online treatment intervention, known as an internet-based Cognitive Bias Modification intervention (CBM-I; Dodd et al., 2019). CBM-I interventions are a form of CBT that directly addresses this defective interpretation process by repeatedly exposing participants to scenarios in which they must learn how to interpret the information in a more positive manner (Salemink, Wolters, & de Haan, 2015). This study aims to understand the relationship between adverse psychological outcomes and dimensions of perfectionism (adaptive vs maladaptive), as well as to assess the efficacy of an online treatment intervention in reducing maladaptive perfectionist tendencies. It is imperative that we deepen our understanding of this multidimensional construct and to further address preventative treatment options for maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism. The current global pandemic urges research assessing the efficacy of highly accessible and online interventions, such as this CBM-I intervention used for maladaptive perfectionism, and some psychological disorders.