Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of incompleteness in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and hoarding behavior, and to determine whether this mediating effect varies according to the level of emotional clarity. To this end, data were collected from 243 university students aged 18 and older using the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Korean version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, the Obsessive-Compulsive Trait Core Questionnaire, and the Korean version of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. Based on the collected data, this study verified the mediating effect of incompleteness and the moderated mediating effect of emotional clarity in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and hoarding behaviors, and the main findings are as follows. First, the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and hoarding behaviors was found to be partially mediated by incompleteness. Second, emotional clarity was found to moderate the relationship between incompleteness and hoarding behaviors. Finally, the mediating effect of incompleteness in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and hoarding behaviors was found to be moderated by emotional clarity. This suggests that the pathway from maladaptive perfectionism to hoarding behaviors through incompleteness can be alleviated by emotional clarity. Based on these findings, the implications and limitations of this study were discussed.