We have heard repeatedly in recent years that perfectionism is on the rise among young people. This rise prompts concerns about perfectionism and student well-being in secondary education. A new Finnish study (Kuusi, Hirvonen, Niemivirta, & Tuominen, 2025) examined over 2,000 upper secondary students and identified four distinct types of perfectionists.

The researchers found four recognisable profiles:

• Ambitious students: high standards, few worries.

• Perfectionists: high standards, many worries.

• Concerned students: low standards, many worries.

• Non-perfectionists: low standards, few concerns.

The differences in well-being were striking. Ambitious students were the most engaged and reported the fewest problems. Perfectionists were also engaged, but at the same time struggled with higher levels of exhaustion, depressive symptoms and anxiety. The concerned students fared worst, showing little energy and experiencing a lot of rumination.

What makes this study stand out is that it also looked at the role of support, not only from teachers or school psychologists, but also from family and friends. The results were precise: friendships mattered most. Students who received sufficient support from friends and family fared better – although even then, perfectionists remained more vulnerable to depressive symptoms. The most worrying finding was that when students needed support but did not receive it, they all slipped back. In those cases, ambitious and perfectionist students hardly differed in their levels of distress.

How strong are these findings?

The research is well designed: a large and representative sample, modern analysis (latent profile analysis), and attention to multiple sources of support and multiple dimensions of well-being. That gives the results considerable weight.

Still, some caution is needed. All the data were collected through self-report questionnaires, which can be subject to bias. Moreover, this was a cross-sectional study – a snapshot in time – so we cannot say for sure whether support reduces distress, or whether students with distress perceive less support. And of course, this is Finnish research: school structures and cultural attitudes towards perfectionism may differ elsewhere.

What should we take away?

The study shows convincingly that perfectionism is not a single trait. Not every student who sets high standards for themselves will get stuck. Ambitious students, in fact, seemed to thrive. But for those who worry and doubt, support can be a crucial buffer. And while teachers play a role, the support of friends and family proved even more decisive.

The message for schools and parents is clear: recognise the nuances of perfectionism and ensure that young people are not left alone in their pursuit of success.

Abstract of the study:

This study used a person-oriented approach to investigate 1) what kinds of perfectionistic profiles can be identified among general upper secondary students (N = 2005) and 2) whether perceived support from various sources (i.e., teacher, school psychologist, family, friends) moderates the links between perfectionistic profiles and students’ well-being (i.e., engagement, exhaustion, depressive symptoms, anxiety). Students were classified using latent profile analysis, based on different patterns of perfectionistic strivings and concerns. Four profiles were identified: concerned (low strivings and high concerns), ambitious (high strivings and low concerns), perfectionists (high strivings and high concerns), and non-perfectionists (low strivings and low concerns). Regarding profile differences in well-being, ambitious students were the most engaged and concerned were the least engaged in their studies, whereas perfectionists, followed by concerned, expressed the highest exhaustion, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Friends’ support showed the most prominent interactive effects with the perfectionistic profiles. When students received enough support from family and friends, ambitious expectedly showed adaptive well-being, while perfectionists still expressed more depressive symptoms. Interestingly, when students did not receive support from family or friends despite needing it, perfectionists and ambitious did not differ in their depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of support. These findings indicate that it is important to recognise and support students with different perfectionistic tendencies for reducing students’ emotional distress.