The Importance of Perfectionism to Chinese International Students and How This Affects Their Emotional and Mental Health

Yifei Wang

doi:10.26689/ssr.v7i10.12754

Yifei Wang Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, Hubei, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26689/ssr.v7i10.12754

Keywords: Perfectionism, Chinese international students, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Emotional wellbeing, Cultural adaptation, Psychological intervention

Abstract

This study adopts a qualitative research approach, focusing on the mechanisms through which perfectionism affects the emotional and mental health of Chinese international students in the UK. Through in-depth interviews with three Chinese students and using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), three core themes of perfectionism manifestation were identified: unconscious patterns of perfectionist behavior, the shaping role of others and the social environment on perfectionism, and the complex impact of the experience of being an “outsider” in a cross-cultural context on perfectionist psychology.

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