Although exercise is widely recognised for its physical and psychological benefits, many humans do not regularly engage in physical activity. The motivation to exercise differs amongst individuals, while some are motivated by personal growth or enjoyment, others feel driven by internal standards or external pressures. The role of perfectionism plays a pivotal role in shaping different exercise motivations, but there is limited evidence on why this occurs. This study explored how self and social perfectionism relate to two types of exercise motivation: autonomous (self-driven) and controlled (pressure driven). To examine potential explanations of these relationships, excellencism (a healthy drive to achieve high standards) and appearance anxiety were studied as mediators. Individuals who engage in exercise (N=231; 74.5% female, 25.5% male; Mage = 27.52) completed a questionnaire measuring perfectionism, exercise motivation, excellencism and appearance anxiety. The results showed that excellencism fully explained the positive link between self-perfectionism and autonomous motivation. This suggests that people with high personal standards are more likely to self-endorse exercise when they strive for excellence in a healthy and flexible way. It was also found that social perfectionism was negatively linked to autonomous motivation which was fully explained by appearance anxiety. However, a positive link was found between social perfectionism and controlled motivation, which was partially explained by appearance anxiety suggesting another variable may also mediate this relationship. These findings show that different types of perfectionism can lead to different types of motivation depending on how people think about success and appearance. The results support ideas from Self-Determination Theory and suggest that encouraging healthy goal setting and reducing appearance anxiety may help people exercise for more meaningful and sustainable reasons.
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