Eating disorder symptoms and the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism: mixed perfectionism is the most maladaptive combination

Purpose: The 2 × 2 model of perfectionism (Gaudreau and Thompson in Personal Individ Diff 48:532–537, 2010) represents an important addition to the perfectionism literature, but so far has not been studied in relation with disordered eating. Method: Using the 2 × 2 model as analytic framework, this study examined responses from a convenience sample of 716 participants aged 19–68 years (71% female) investigating how self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) predicted individual differences in eating disorder symptoms, additionally controlling for body mass index, gender, and age. Results: Results showed a significant SOP × SPP interaction indicating that the combination of high SOP and high SPP—called “mixed perfectionism”—was associated with the highest levels of eating disorder symptoms. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the utility of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism as an analytic framework for examining perfectionism and disordered eating. Moreover, they suggest that mixed perfectionism is the most maladaptive form of perfectionism when it comes to disordered eating, such that having high levels of SPP combined with high levels of SOP represents the most maladaptive combination of perfectionism in terms of risk of eating disorder. Level of evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.