Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS)

Abstract

The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), developed by Frost, Marten, Lahart, and Rosenblate in 1990, is a widely utilized self-report instrument designed to measure the complex and multifaceted psychological construct of perfectionism. Unlike earlier conceptualizations that viewed perfectionism as a unidimensional trait, the FMPS originally proposed a six-factor model, distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive facets of highly demanding standards. Subsequent research, notably by Stöber (1998), has often suggested a more parsimonious four-factor structure, though the scale remains foundational in research investigating clinical and non-clinical expressions of perfectionistic tendencies.

Keywords

Perfectionism, psychometric properties, multidimensional scale, cognitive therapy, personality assessment, self-report instrument, maladaptive perfectionism, personal standards, parental criticism.

Authors

Randy O. Frost, Patricia Marten, Cynthia Lahart, Richard Rosenblate

Purpose

The primary purpose of the FMPS is to provide a detailed, factor-analytically derived assessment of an individual’s tendency toward perfectionism. It aims to differentiate between various dimensions of perfectionistic striving, allowing researchers and clinicians to analyze which specific facets (e.g., self-imposed standards versus external pressures) contribute to outcomes such as anxiety, depression, or achievement motivation.

The scale was developed specifically to move beyond simple definitions of perfectionism and capture both the internal drive for high standards and the external, socially prescribed aspects, particularly those rooted in childhood experiences with parental expectations and criticism.

Construct

The FMPS measures the psychological construct of perfectionism as a multidimensional personality characteristic. In its original 35-item form, the scale assesses six distinct factors:

• Personal Standards (PS): Self-imposed high standards and goals.
• Concern over Mistakes (CM): A tendency to react negatively, severely, and anxiously to mistakes, viewing them as equivalent to failure.
• Parental Expectations (PE): Beliefs that one’s parents held extremely high standards for their performance.
• Parental Criticism (PC): Perception of frequent and harsh parental evaluation and disapproval regarding performance.
• Doubts about Actions (D): Tendency to doubt the quality or completeness of one’s actions, leading to repeated checking or procrastination.
• Organization (O): Preference for order, neatness, and systematic functioning.

While Personal Standards and Organization are often considered more adaptive or benign dimensions, Concern over Mistakes, Doubts about Actions, Parental Expectations, and Parental Criticism are frequently associated with maladaptive outcomes and clinical distress.

Validity

The original research by Frost et al. (1990) established the factorial validity of the six-factor model through exploratory factor analysis. Subsequent studies have confirmed the scale’s construct validity by demonstrating expected correlations between the maladaptive factors (CM, D, PE, PC) and measures of psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorder symptomatology.

However, cross-cultural and subsequent factor analysis studies (e.g., Stöber, 1998; Khawaja & Armstrong, 2005) have often challenged the six-factor structure, suggesting that the Parental Expectations and Parental Criticism dimensions frequently merge (PEPC), and Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions often combine (CMDA). Despite these structural debates, the scale components consistently demonstrate strong criterion validity in predicting psychological outcomes linked to perfectionism.

Reliability

The FMPS demonstrates strong overall internal consistency and reliability. Stöber’s (1998) analysis reported an excellent overall coefficient alpha for the 35-item scale of 0.90. The reliability for the individual subscales is also generally robust, indicating high internal consistency:

• Concern over Mistakes (CM): 0.87
• Parental Expectations (PE): 0.88
• Parental Criticism (PC): 0.81
• Organization (O): 0.86
• Personal Standards (PS): 0.78
• Doubts about Actions (D): 0.73

These coefficients indicate that the items within each dimension measure their respective constructs reliably. Further studies, such as those involving Australian adolescent girls (Hawkins et al., 2006), have consistently supported the high internal consistency of the FMPS factors, confirming its reliability across different populations.

Factor Analysis

The initial development of the FMPS in 1990 utilized factor analysis to identify six distinct factors, which became the standard structure for the instrument. However, the factor structure has been a significant point of discussion in perfectionism literature.

Stöber (1998) argued for a more streamlined four-factor model after conducting confirmatory factor analysis. This revised structure typically collapses the highly correlated factors:

• Parental Expectations and Parental Criticism combine into one factor (PEPC).
• Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions combine into one factor (CMDA).
• Personal Standards (PS) and Organization (O) remain distinct factors.

This debate over the optimal number of factors—six versus four—is crucial when interpreting research findings, as the four-factor model often provides a clearer distinction between self-oriented (PS) and socially prescribed or maladaptive (CMDA, PEPC) perfectionism.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometric scale

Format: 35 items, typically scored on a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Original), widely translated into other languages for cross-cultural research (e.g., German, Spanish, Turkish).

Population Group: Clinical and Non-clinical populations

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults

Population Details: Originally validated on university students; subsequent studies have utilized various populations, including clinical samples and high-school students.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or truthfulness for each statement. Scoring uses a 5-point scale, ranging from 1=”strongly disagree” to 5=”strongly agree,” or 1=”not at all true” through 5=”very true.” Subscale scores are calculated by summing the items corresponding to each dimension.

Keywords

FMPS, R. O. Frost, multidimensional model, internal consistency, maladaptive traits, organization, parental influence, self-critical perfectionism.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale was first published in 1990. As a widely published academic instrument, it is generally available for non-commercial research and educational use, though researchers should always consult the original publishers or authors regarding specific permissions and potential fees for commercial applications or large-scale administration.

Test Year: 1990

Reference’s

Frost, R. O., Marten, P., Lahart, C., & Rosenblate, R. (1990). The dimensions of perfectionism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 14, 449-468.

Stöber, J. (1998). The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale: More perfect with four (instead of six) dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences, 24(4), 481-491. The original PDF for this article can be downloaded here: http://kar.kent.ac.uk/19826/1/Stoeber_FMPS_1998.pdf

Hawkins, Colleen C., Watt, Helen M. G., & Sinclair, Kenneth E. (2006). Psychometric Properties of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale With Australian Adolescent Girls. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 1001-1021.

Khawaja, Nigar G. and Armstrong, Kerry A. (2005). Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale developing shorter versions using an Australian sample. Australian Journal of Psychology, 57(2), 129-138. The original PDF for this study is available here: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/7536/2/7536.pdf

Items of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. My parents set very high standards for me. PE

2. Organization is very important to me. O

3. As a child‚ I was punished for doing things less than perfect. PC

4. If I do not set the highest standards for myself‚ I am likely to end up a second-rate person. PS

5. My parents never tried to understand my mistakes. PC

6. It is important to me that I am thoroughly competent in everything I do. PS

7. I am a neat person. O

8. I try to be an organized person. O

9. If I fail at work/school‚ I am a failure as a person. CM

10. I should be upset if I make a mistake. CM

11. My parents wanted me to do the best at everything. PE

12. I set higher goals than most people. PS

13. If someone does a task at work/school better than I‚ then I feel like I failed the whole task. CM

14. If I fail partly‚ it is as bad as being a complete failure. CM

15. Only outstanding performance is good enough in my family. PE

16. I am very good at focusing my efforts on attaining a goal. PS

17. Even when I do something very carefully‚ I often feel that it is not quite right. D

18. I hate being less than the best at things. CM

19. I have extremely high goals. PS

20. My parents have expected excellence from me. PE

21. People will probably think less of me if I make a mistake. CM

22. I never felt like I could meet my parents’ expectations. PC

23. If I do not as well as other people‚ it means I am an inferior human being CM

24. Other people seem to accept lower standards than I do. PS

25. If I do not do well all the time‚ people will not respect me. CM

26. My parents have always had higher expectations for my future than I have. PE

27. I try to be a neat person. O

28. I usually have doubts about the simple everyday things I do. D

29. Neatness is very important to me. O

30. I expect higher performance in my daily tasks than most people. PS

31. I am an organized person. O

32. I tend to get behind in my work because I repeat things over and over. D

33. It takes me a long time to do something “right.” D

34. The fewer mistakes I make‚ the more people will like me. CM

35. I never felt like I could meet my parents’ standards. PC

CM = Concern over Mistakes‚ D = Doubts about actions‚ PE = Parental Expectations‚ PC = Parental Criticism‚ PS = Personal Standards‚ O = Organization.