Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and academic procrastination in initiation and completion among college students, while also investigating how the sub-factors of self-criticism—blame, monitoring, and comparing—moderate this relationship. An online survey was conducted with 327 college students from four regions in South Korea. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis with SPSS 27.0, and the moderating effects were assessed using Model 1 of the PROCESS macro. The results are as follows: First, socially prescribed perfectionism was found to be positively correlated with academic completion procrastination but showed no significant correlation with academic initiation procrastination. Second, socially prescribed perfectionism exhibited a significant positive correlation with the self-criticism sub-factors—blame, monitoring, and comparing—as well as with academic completion procrastination. Third, the sub-factors of self-criticism—, specifically monitoring and comparing—, significantly moderated the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and academic completion procrastination. This finding suggests that individuals with high levels of socially prescribed perfectionism who engage in excessive monitoring and comparing are more likely to experience academic completion procrastination. Therefore, interventions aimed at reducing these behaviors may be beneficial in alleviating academic procrastination. The study also discusses its implications and limitations.