The Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire (MSPQ)

Abstract

The Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire (MSPQ) is a specialized psychometric instrument created by William E. Snell, Jr., designed to measure the manifestation of perfectionism specifically within the context of sexual relationships and performance. Unlike scales measuring general personality traits, the MSPQ adopts a nuanced, multidimensional approach. It successfully operationalizes perfectionistic tendencies by differentiating between internal pressures, such as an individual’s drive for flawless sexual performance (Self-oriented Sexual Perfectionism), and perceived external demands stemming from partners or broader societal expectations (Socially-prescribed Sexual Perfectionism).

This scale is essential for empirical research investigating the complex links between high, often unrealistic, sexual standards and outcomes related to sexual health, relational quality, and psychological distress. The MSPQ provides a crucial tool for understanding how the fear of sexual failure impacts individual well-being and relational dynamics.

Keywords

Sexual perfectionism, MSPQ, William E. Snell Jr., self-oriented sexual perfectionism, socially-prescribed sexual perfectionism, partner-directed perfectionism, sexual performance, psychological assessment.

Authors

William E. Snell, Jr.

Purpose

The central purpose of the Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire (MSPQ) is to offer researchers and clinicians a comprehensive and highly nuanced instrument for measuring sexual perfectionism. It moves beyond unitary definitions by aiming to clearly differentiate the specific sources and targets of perfectionistic standards related to sexual activity and intimacy.

This multidimensional framework enables the identification of distinct patterns of sexual expectations. These patterns include standards that are self-imposed (internal), those projected onto a sexual partner, or those perceived as prescribed by external social or media factors. Ultimately, the MSPQ is designed to facilitate research into how the pursuit of flawless sexual performance, or the corresponding fear of sexual failure, contributes to an individual’s psychological well-being, sexual dysfunction, and overall relational satisfaction.

Construct

The MSPQ measures Sexual Perfectionism, which is conceptually defined as the establishment of excessively rigorous and often unrealistic standards for sexual performance, coupled with overly critical self-evaluations and a heightened emotional sensitivity to perceived sexual failure. The scale adopts a multidimensional perspective, reflecting the complexity of general perfectionism models, such as those proposed by Hewitt and Flett, but tailored specifically to the sexual domain.

The instrument is structured around five core dimensions, primarily derived from Section I of the questionnaire, which capture the varied interpersonal and intrapersonal manifestations of the construct:

• Self-oriented Sexual Perfectionism: The tendency to impose stringent, often unrealistic, standards upon one’s own sexual performance.
• Socially-prescribed Sexual Perfectionism: The belief that external entities, such as society, peers, or media, demand perfect sexual performance.
• Partner-directed Sexual Perfectionism: The tendency to hold one’s sexual partner to extremely high, perfectionistic standards regarding their performance.
• Partner’s Self-oriented Sexual Perfectionism: The perception that one’s partner strives for perfection in their own sexual performance.
• Self-directed Sexual Perfectionism from One’s Partner: The perception that one’s partner demands perfection from the respondent.

Validity

Preliminary studies have been undertaken to establish the psychometric properties of the MSPQ. The initial validation efforts focused on demonstrating strong construct validity, ensuring that the individual subscales accurately and distinctly capture the intended facets of sexual perfectionism. This work is critical given the scale’s multidimensional structure.

Early empirical evidence indicates that the MSPQ subscales are positively correlated with theoretically relevant psychological variables, including elevated sexual anxiety and increased relationship concerns. This supports the utility and validity of the measure in capturing constructs associated with perfectionistic sexual standards. Specific findings regarding criterion, concurrent, or predictive validity are detailed in the author’s initial conference presentations and subsequent peer-reviewed publications.

Reliability

The initial reliability investigations for the MSPQ were presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association meeting in 1995. This preliminary work by Snell and Rigdon provided evidence supporting the measure’s internal consistency and stability over time.

The findings suggested that the items grouped within each subscale consistently measure the intended dimension of sexual perfectionism, indicating acceptable reliability. For precise measures of internal consistency, such as specific Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, and data pertaining to test-retest reliability, researchers are strongly advised to consult the primary source materials.

Factor Analysis

The theoretical foundation of the MSPQ necessitates an inherently multidimensional structure, designed to reflect the distinct factors underlying sexual perfectionistic tendencies. The scale is explicitly structured to measure at least five primary factors, derived from the items in Section I, each capturing a unique source—whether intrapersonal or interpersonal—of perfectionistic standards.

The resulting factor structure illustrates a complex interplay among various pressures: self-imposed standards, the perceived expectations from a partner, and the expectations one places upon a partner. Subsequent research utilizing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has further supported the empirical separation and distinctiveness of these dimensions, particularly reinforcing the distinction between self-oriented sexual perfectionism and socially-prescribed perfectionism in the sexual context.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Questionnaire / Psychological Scale

Format: 5-point Likert scale (A = Not at all characteristic of me to E = Very characteristic of me). The scale is divided into two sections (Section I and Section II), totaling 66 items (excluding instructional items).

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Adults engaged in or reflecting upon sexual relationships.

Age Group: Adult (Implied for sexually active individuals).

Population Details: The scale is designed for use with individuals capable of reflecting on their current, past, or imagined sexual relationships.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the degree to which each statement is characteristic of them based on a specified relationship context (current, past, or imagined sexual relationship).

Keywords

Psychological assessment, scale development, sexual expectations, relationship quality, psychometrics, William E. Snell Jr., socially prescribed perfectionism.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: William E. Snell, Jr., Department of Psychology, Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701 USA.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Explicit permission is granted to individuals for the use of the Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire for research purposes.

Fee: Not specified, but the scale is generally available free of charge for academic research use, based on the author’s explicit permission statement.

Test Year: The MSPQ was developed by William E. Snell, Jr., with the initial presentation of preliminary psychometric data occurring in 1995. Anticipated publication in a handbook of sexuality-related measures followed shortly thereafter.

Reference’s

• Snell, W. E., Jr. (in press). The Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire. In C. M. Davis, W. L. Yarber, and S. L. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality-related measures. Newbury Park: Sage.
• Sch‎arfe, E., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). Reliability and stability of adult attachment patterns. Personal Relationships, 1, 23-43. (Cited reference used in development/validation context).
• Snell, W. E., Jr., & Rigdon, K. (1995, April). The Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire: Preliminary evidence for reliability and validity. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association, San Antonio, TX.

Items of the The Multidimensional Sexual Perfectionism Questionnaire (MSPQ)

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

Section – I

1. I will respond to the following items based on:

• (A) A current sexual relationship.
• (B) A past sexual relationship.
• (C) An imagined sexual relationship.

2. I set very high standards for myself as a sexual partner.
3. If I am “perfect” as a sexual partner, then society will consider me to be a good partner.
4. My partner sets very high standards of excellence for herself/himself as a sexual partner.
5. My partner expects me to be a perfect sexual partner.
6. I expect my partner to always be a top-notch and competent sexual partner.
7. I must always be successful as a sexual partner.
8. Most people in society expect me to always be a perfect sexual partner.
9. My partner is perfectionistic in that she/he expects to sexually satisfy me each and every time.
10. My partner demands nothing less than perfection of me as a sexual partner.
11. My partner should never let me down when it comes to my sexual needs.
12. One of my goals is to be a “perfect” sexual partner.
13. Most people expect me to always be an excellent sexual partner.
14. It makes my partner uneasy for him/her to be less than a perfect sexual partner.
15. My partner always wants me to sexually please him/her.
16. I cannot stand for my partner to be less than a satisfying sexual partner.
17. I always feel the need to be a “perfect” sexual partner.
18. I have to be a perfect sexual partner in order for most people to regard me as okay.
19. My partner sets very high, perfectionistic goals for herself (himself) as a sexual partner.
20. My partner pressures me to be a perfect sexual partner.
21. I expect nothing less than perfectionism from my sexual partner.
22. I always pressure myself to be the best sexual partner in the world.
23. In order for people to accept me, I have to be the greatest sex partner in the world.
24. My partner is always trying to be totally perfect as a sexual partner.
25. My sexual partner has very high perfectionistic goals for me as a sexual partner.
26. I will appreciate my partner, only if she/he is a perfect sexual lover.
27. I have very high perfectionistic goals for myself as a sexual partner.
28. Most people expect me to be perfectionistic when it comes to sex.
29. My partner always feels that she/he has to be the best possible sexual partner.
30. In order for my partner to appreciate me, I have to be a perfect sexual lover.
31. I expect my sexual partner to try to be perfectionistic when it comes to sex.

Section – II

1. I am going to respond to the following items based on:

• (A) A current sexual relationship,
• (B) A past sexual relationship,
• (C) An imagined sexual relationship.

2. My partner sets very high sexual standards for me.
3. Preparation for sex is very important to me.
4. My partner has criticized me for being less than a perfect sexual partner.
5. If I do not set the highest standards for myself, I am likely to end up a second rate sexual partner.
6. My partner never tries to understand my sexual shortcomings/inadequacies.
7. It is important to me that I be thoroughly competent as a sexual partner.
8. I am a neat (i.e., not messy) sexual partner.
9. I try to take an organized approach to sex.
10. If I fail to sexually satisfy my sexual partner, I am a failure as a person.
11. I would be upset if I make a “sexual mistake” with a partner.
12. My partner wants me to be the best possible sexual lover.
13. I set higher goals for myself as a sexual partner than do most people.
14. If someone were a better sexual partner than I, then I would feel like a sexual failure.
15. If I fail in part to be a totally good sexual partner, it is as bad as being a complete failure.
16. Only an outstanding sexual performance (from me) is good enough for my partner.
17. I am very good at focusing my efforts on sexually fulfilling/satisfying my partner.
18. Even when I am very careful as a sexual partner, I often feel that sex is not quite right.
19. I hate being less than the best possible sexual partner.
20. I have extremely high (performance) goals for myself as a sexual partner.
21. My sexual partner expects “excellence” from me.
22. My sexual partner will probably think less of me if I make a (sexual) mistake.
23. I never feel like I can meet my sexual partner’ expectations.
24. If I am not as good at sex as other people, it means I am an inferior human being.
25. Other people seem to accept lower sexual standards from themselves than I do for myself.
26. If I do not do well at sex all the time, my partner will not respect me.
27. My partner has always had higher expectations for our sexual relationship than I have.
28. As a sexual partner, I try to be neat.
29. I usually have doubts about myself as a sexual partner.
30. During sex, neatness is very important to me.
31. I expect more of myself as a sexual partner than most people.
32. I take an organized approach to my sexual activities.
33. I tend to be an inadequate sexual lover because I repeat things over and over.
34. It takes me a long time to do sex “right.”
35. The fewer mistakes I make as a sexual partner, the more my partner will like me.
36. I never feel like I can meet a partner’s standards/expectations for sex.