Maladaptive Perfectionism as a Predictor of Self-Esteem and Impostor Syndrome Among Indian College Students

Maladaptive perfectionism has been widely associated with negative self-evaluative processes and psychological distress, particularly among students in high-pressure academic environments. The present study examined the relationships among maladaptive perfectionism, self-esteem, and impostor syndrome among Indian college students and explored the predictive role of maladaptive perfectionism in relation to these constructs. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed with a sample of 300 undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18–24 years. Maladaptive perfectionism was measured using the Discrepancy subscale of the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS), self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and impostor syndrome using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale – Short Form (CIPS-10). Pearson correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationships between maladaptive perfectionism and self-esteem (r = 0.43, p < 0.001), and between maladaptive perfectionism and impostor syndrome (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Regression analyses further indicated that maladaptive perfectionism significantly predicted both self-esteem (R² = 0.18) and impostor syndrome (R² = 0.18). These findings suggest that in performance-oriented academic contexts, maladaptive perfectionism may simultaneously enhance self-evaluations while contributing to increased impostor syndrome. Overall, the results highlight the context-dependent nature of maladaptive perfectionism and its dual role in shaping both self-evaluation and psychological distress among students in competitive academic environments.