Are you a professional in finance, law, or mental health in Hong Kong?
Do you push yourself to excel, but often struggle to prioritise self-care?

I am conducting a doctoral research study exploring how perfectionism influences self-care behaviours among high-pressure professionals in Hong Kong.

Study Overview

I am carrying out this research as part of my Doctor of Psychology degree (PsyD) at California Southern University. This project forms the basis of my doctoral dissertation and has been reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board.

My aim is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how perfectionism affects professionals’ overall well-being and approaches to self-care. While this research is primarily academic, I hope the findings will help inform workplace well-being initiatives and provide professionals with strategies to turn perfectionism into a strength while minimising its risks.

Perfectionism can drive excellence, ambition, and attention to detail. These qualities are often valued in the professional working environments of law, finance, and mental health. However, they can also contribute to challenges such as self-criticism, difficulty setting boundaries, disruptive workplace dynamics, and neglected personal well-being and happiness.

This study explores these dynamics within Hong Kong’s unique professional and cultural context, where long working hours, high expectations, and the blending of Eastern and Western values may intensify perfectionistic pressures.

Through a combination of questionnaires and interviews, this study will:

• Highlight both the strengths and challenges of perfectionism in professional life.

• Identify barriers to maintaining healthy self-care.

• Generate insights that hope to inform culturally sensitive workplace well-being strategies.

Eligibility to participate

• Age 25 or above

• At least five years of professional experience

• Currently working in Hong Kong in finance, law, or mental health (including professional services)

• Identify with perfectionistic traits (e.g., setting exceptionally high standards, self-criticism, or external pressure to achieve)

What’s Involved?

• Reading the Participant Information Sheet and providing consent

• Completing two short online questionnaires (~20–30 minutes total)

• Taking part in a confidential online interview (~45–50 minutes)

Confidentiality & Ethics

All responses will be confidential and anonymised. Each participant will be assigned a unique participant code, and no identifying information will appear in any reports or publications. Data will be securely stored for five years and then permanently deleted. This study has received ethical approval the Institutional Review Board of California Southern University. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time without consequence.

Would you like to contribute to this research?
Your insights can help shape future approaches to workplace well-being and support professionals managing perfectionism in high-pressure environments.

Do you have any questions, or require any further information?

Please contact:
Claire Christopher
Counsellor & Doctor of Psychology Candidate
California Southern University
📧 claire.christopher@my.calsouthern.edu

© clairechristopher.com.
This is an independent doctoral research project conducted for academic purposes only. No commercial services are being offered through this page.