Abstract

LEITE, Marina Goulart de Oliveira; CUNHA, Maria Roberta da Silva; FERREIRA, Maycon Santos  and  MANSUR-ALVES, Marcela. Influences of Perfectionistic Characteristics on the Therapeutic Alliance: A Systematic Literature Review. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2025, vol.21, e20250571.  Epub Dec 19, 2025. ISSN 1808-5687.  https://doi.org/10.5935/1808-5687.20250571.

People with high levels of perfectionism face difficulties in seeking, adhering to, and benefiting from psychotherapeutic interventions. The Social Disconnection Model of Perfectionism, applied to the clinical context, highlighted the centrality of relational problems for psychological distress and worse therapeutic outcomes in perfectionists. Understanding the therapeutic alliance, an important predictor of treatment adherence and success, is essential to identify factors that hinder the bonding of perfectionist patients with their psychologists. To elucidate the relationship between perfectionist characteristics and the therapeutic alliance, a systematic literature review was conducted (PRISMA guidelines, 2020) through reference list searches and database queries in PubMed, APA PsycInfo, Scopus, BVS, Web of Science, and SciELO. The descriptors [perfectionism AND therapeutic alliance] were used. After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, duplicate analysis, and full-text reading of manuscripts, a total of 12 articles were retained. The results suggest that perfectionist characteristics (perfectionist traits and self-presentation) have deleterious effects on the therapeutic alliance, seemingly leading to worse therapeutic outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand this relationship.

Keywords : Perfectionism; Therapeutic alliance; Psychotherapy..

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )