<p>Grounded in the 2 × 2 framework of Achievement Goal Theory and recent refinements of perfectionism theory, the present study examined how perceived parental goals (mastery and performance) and perceived parental criticism/expectations shape adolescents’ achievement goals (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), through the mediating role of perfectionism. Specifically, a mediation model was tested, with personal standards and concerns over mistakes/doubts about actions acting as sequential mediators. Six hundred fifty-one Italian ninth- and tenth-graders (<i>M</i>_<i>age</i> = 14.24, <i>SD</i> = 0.69) completed self-report measures. Path analysis supported the proposed sequential mediation model, showing that both adaptive (mastery-oriented) and less adaptive (performance-oriented and excessively critical) perceived parental stances were associated with higher personal standards, which in turn fostered concerns over mistakes/doubts about actions. These perfectionism dimensions differentially mediated the relations between parental influences and students’ achievement goals: mastery-approach goals were primarily promoted by parents’ mastery goals and personal standards. Mastery-avoidance goals exhibited more complex and less adaptive patterns, with parents’ mastery goals, parental criticism/expectations, and concern over mistakes/doubts about actions, each exerting distinct influences. Performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals were both primarily related to parents’ performance goals and perceived criticism/expectations, also through the mediation of personal standards and concern over mistakes, reflecting multifaceted pathways shaping performance-oriented goals. Overall, these findings highlight the distinct pathways through which interpersonal and intrapersonal factors may jointly shape students’ goal orientations.</p>