'With texting, I'm always second guessing myself': Teenage perfectionists' experiences of (dis)connection online

Abstract

Little is known about how perfectionistic adolescents experience social connection in online spaces. The current qualitative study addressed this gap by examining themes related to social (dis)connection in online and in-person settings from semi-structured interviews with 43 adolescents (Mage = 15.16, SD = 2.43; 62.8% female; 58.1% white; 54.4% self-identified perfectionists). Results demonstrated that perfectionists expressed feeling less connected online than non-perfectionists, likely driven by heightened levels of interpersonal sensitivity. However, a subgroup of perfectionists sought out meaningful online relationships, often in response to a fear or experience of rejection by in-person peers. The results highlight the role of interpersonal sensitivity in fuelling feelings of disconnection among adolescent perfectionists in both online and in-person settings, as well as the importance of self-monitoring in the social experiences of perfectionistic youth.