Personality and Perfectionism among Irish Gifted Students: Recognizing Signs of Concern

Balanced research and practice

In a study to explore the psychology of Irish gifted students, secondary students attending an advanced summer enrichment program completed a survey battery that included the Big Five Inventory personality measure and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Psychologists have found links among mental health and personality – relatively enduring characteristic patterns of behavior – and perfectionism – one’s belief about how perfectly they should perform or how others expect them to perform. Four profiles were identified from students’ scores in the factors of Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. These profiles align with those found in many other studies of personality, which have also uncovered important associations with mental health. How these profiles compare in perfectionism offers additional insights to inform interventions to support both talent development and personal growth.