223 The Professional Counselor | Volume 13, Issue 3 Early college high schools are an innovative way for high school students to earn both high school degrees and college degrees simultaneously. These schools are on the rise (Song et al., 2021) and meet many high-achieving students’ academic and social–emotional needs (Dai et al., 2015). However, the literature on early college high schools also highlights themes of increased academic pressure, stress, adjustment concerns, and anxiety (Dai et al., 2015; Peters & Mann, 2009). Unfortunately, the needs of high-achieving students in accelerated curricula are often not prioritized in research and there is a lack of attention in counselor education programs given to the social–emotional development of the high-achieving population (O'Brennan et al., 2019; Suldo et al., 2018). Therefore, further research is needed to demonstrate effective interventions targeted to meet high-achieving students’ unique emotional health needs. High-Achieving Students and Mental Health The term high-achieving refers to students who “exhibit outstanding intellectual ability, or promise, and are capable of extraordinary performance and accomplishment” (McClain & Pfeiffer, 2012, p. 59). Unfortunately, the high-achieving population has been surrounded by positive stereotyping for years (Peterson & Lorimer, 2011), leaving them vulnerable to social isolation, stigmatization, and psychological distress. Researchers studying high-achieving students specifically have identified many concerns, including anxiety, perfectionism, suicidal ideation, bullying, academic underachievement, poor coping skills, and trauma (Peterson, 2009; Tang & Fisher, 2012). There are a number of situations, compounded by the additional factor of high ability, that put high-achieving students at a more unique risk for developing mental health problems (Colangelo & Wood, 2015; Cross & Cross, 2015). For example, highachieving students may face challenges related to asynchronous development, which is when cognitive development outpaces the physical and social–emotional domains (Papadopolous, 2020). This disparity may cause issues in how high-achieving students experience and relate to the world (Colangelo & Wood, 2015), which can lead to social anxiety and peer rejection (Cross & Cross, 2015). Further, increased levels of stress stemming from high-ability characteristics such as over-commitment, fear of making mistakes, and high expectations are common in this population (Cross & Cross, 2015). High-Achieving Students and Perfectionism Perfectionism is a personality disposition characterized by the act of striving for precision and having exceedingly high standards of performance accompanied by relentless self-criticism while in pursuit of those standards (Frost et al., 1990; Tang & Fisher, 2012). Several researchers have proposed that there are two higher-order dimensions of perfectionism: perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns (Leone & Wade, 2018; Strickler et al., 2019). Perfectionistic strivings are high personal standards and the belief that being perfect is important to oneself (Hewitt & Flett, 1991), whereas perfectionistic concerns include the fear of making mistakes, expressing self-doubt about one’s abilities, and perceiving that others expect perfection of oneself (Frost et al., 1990; Mofield & Parker Peters, 2015). Perfectionism is one of the most frequently cited traits in high-achieving individuals (G. A. Horowitz et al., 2012; Papadopoulos, 2020) and one of the most common concerns expressed by their parents (Stricker et al., 2019). Damian and colleagues’ (2017) study was one of the first to provide evidence that high academic ability is a common factor in developing perfectionism. For many high-achieving students, pursuing perfection is a way to preserve positive self-worth, reduce shame, or gain a sense of control (Flett et al., 2002). Further research exploring perfectionism dimensions in high-achieving students found that perfectionistic strivings are associated with more positive outcomes such as happiness, increased self-esteem, life satisfaction (Chan, 2011), and greater academic self-concept (Dixon et al., 2004). In contrast, perfectionistic concerns are associated with more negative outcomes such as poor coping skills, psychological health concerns, and underachievement (Dixon et al., 2004; Stricker et al., 2019).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDU5MTM1