Employee perfectionism and its impact on mental health and well-being: Evidence from Hungary

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThis study examines how two forms of perfectionism – self-doubt-driven and purpose-driven – affect employees’ mental health and well-being. Our study distinguishes between maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism and examines their relationships with burnout and job satisfaction. A quantitative online survey was conducted in Hungary with 478 participants (67% women, with a mean age of 29) via social media. The survey covered the staff of both Hungarian and foreign-owned companies, which were of different sizes. Participants were employed adults selected to obtain a varied sample across regions, education levels, and job positions. Data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, factor analysis, and K-means clustering in SPSS to evaluate three hypotheses regarding the relationships between perfectionism and gender, job role, company ownership, burnout, and life satisfaction. Results showed that self-doubt-driven perfectionism strongly correlated with a higher burnout rate, whereas purpose-driven perfectionism was linked to greater life satisfaction. Contrary to assumptions, demographic factors such as gender, role, or company ownership did not consistently predict perfectionism levels. Two main perfectionism patterns – demanding perfection and doubt-driven – were identified, each producing different psychological outcomes.