Academics' experiences of a respite from work: effects of self-critical perfectionism and perseverative cognition on postrespite well-being
Abstract
This longitudinal study examined relations between personality and cognitive vulnerabilities and the outcomes of a respite from work. A sample of 77 academic employees responded to week-level measures of affective well-being before, during, and on 2 occasions after an Easter respite. When academics were classified as being either high or low in a self-critical form of perfectionism (doubts about actions), a divergent pattern of respite to postrespite effects was revealed. Specifically, during the respite, the 2 groups of academics experienced similar levels of well-being. However, during postrespite working weeks, the more perfectionistic academics reported significantly higher levels of fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety. The greater deterioration in well-being experienced by perfectionist academics when first returning to work was mediated by their tendency for perseverative cognition (i.e., worry and rumination) about work during the respite itself. These findings support the view that the self-critical perfectionist vulnerability is activated by direct exposure to achievement-related stressors and manifested through perseverative modes of thinking.Citation
Academics' experiences of a respite from work: Effects of self-critical perfectionism and perseverative cognition on postrespite well-being. 2012, 97 (4):854-865 Journal of Applied PsychologyPublisher
American Psychological AssociationJournal
Journal of Applied PsychologyDOI
10.1037/a0028055Additional Links
http://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/a0028055Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1939-18540021-9010
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1037/a0028055