Professor & Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Personality and Health
Research Interests
Dr. Flett holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Personality & Health, and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Previously, he was the Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education in York’s Faculty of Health, as well as a director of LaMarsh. Dr. Flett is most recognized for his seminal contributions to research and theory on the role of perfectionism in psychopathology, which has received widespread national and international attention. Dr. Flett explores the relationship between perfectionism and psychological disorders, including eating disorders and postpartum depression. He is expanding his research to include the role of perfectionism in the treatment of and recovery from physical and mental illnesses. He is also taking a closer look at the role of perfectionists in contributing to stress and distress in their adolescent children, and the transmission of this personality trait from parent to child. Other research examines the protective role of feelings of mattering to other people, and the role of risk and resilience factors in well-being. His work has been supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Contact
Department: Psychology
Email address: gflett@yorku.ca
York U Profile link: https://health.yorku.ca/health-profiles/?mid=3719
Google Scholar Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hPLoL-8AAAAJ
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/FlettGordon
Published Manuscripts (Select Publications)
Chen, C., Hewitt, P. L., Flynn, C. A., Ko, A., & Flett, G. L. (2020). Trait perfectionism and performance satisfaction in challenging laboratory problem-solving tasks. Personality and Individual Differences, 164, 110110.
Flett, G. L., & Heisel, M. J. (2020). Aging and Feeling Valued Versus Expendable During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: a Review and Commentary of Why Mattering Is Fundamental to the Health and Well-Being of Older Adults. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-27.
Molnar, D. S., Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. Perfectionism and Perceived Control in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1.
Smith, M. M., Sherry, S. B., Hewitt, P. L., Flett, G. L., Hall, P. A., & Lee-Baggley, D. L. (2020). The existential model of perfectionism and depressive symptoms: Testing a moderated mediation model in community adults using a one-month two-wave longitudinal design. Personality and Individual Differences, 157, 109826.
Casale, S., & Flett, G. L. (2020). Interpersonally-based fears during the COVID-19 pandemic: Reflections on the fear of missing out and the fear of not mattering constructs. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(2), 88-93.
Smith, M. M., Sherry, S. B., Vidovic, V., Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (2020). Why does perfectionism confer risk for depressive symptoms? A meta-analytic test of the mediating role of stress and social disconnection. Journal of Research in Personality, 103954.
Dang, S. S., Quesnel, D. A., Hewitt, P. L., Flett, G. L., & Deng, X. (2020). Perfectionistic traits and self‐presentation are associated with negative attitudes and concerns about seeking professional psychological help. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.
Flett, G. L., Nepon, T., Hewitt, P. L., & Rose, A. L. (2020). Why perfectionism is antithetical to mindfulness: a conceptual and empirical analysis and consideration of treatment implications. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-21.
Fioravanti, G., Flett, G., Hewitt, P., Rugai, L., & Casale, S. (2020). How maladaptive cognitions contribute to the development of problematic social media use. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 11.
Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2020). Reflections on three decades of research on multidimensional perfectionism: An introduction to the special issue on further advances in the assessment of perfectionism. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38(1), 3-14.