Revitalizing Narcissistic Perfectionism: Evidence of the Reliability and the Validity of an Emerging Construct Logan J. Nealis 1 & Simon B. Sherry 1,3 & Dayna L. Lee-Baggley 2 & Sherry H. Stewart 1,3 & Matthew A. Macneil 1 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract Theorists have long speculated about narcissistic perfectionism—an outwardly directed need for perfection marked by grandiosity, entitlement, and lofty expectations for others. This study provides evidence of reliability and predictive validity for an emerging model of narcissistic per- fectionism using two waves of measurement and multiple data sources (self-report and informant-report) in a sample of 155 undergraduate students. As hypothesized, confirmatory factor analysis showed manifest indicators of narcissistic perfection- ism cohered together as a constellation of traits while showing reliability and factorial validity across time and source. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated narcissistic perfec- tionism uniquely and incrementally predicted anger beyond competing measures of other-oriented perfectionism and nar- cissism. Informant-reports of narcissistic perfectionism uniquely predicted anger beyond self-reports. These results offer promising empirical support for the often discussed, but seldom tested, concept of narcissistic perfectionism. Keywords Perfectionism . Narcissism . Anger . Informant . Reliability . Validity The number of models and measures of perfectionism has burgeoned in recent years. Empirical integration has led to higher-order constructs such as perfectionistic strivings (e.g., setting unrealistically high standards for oneself) and perfec- tionistic concerns (e.g., showing intense concern over mis- takes and sharp rebuke in response to imperfections), which have provided a much needed foundation for perfectionism research (Blankstein and Dunkley 2002). Amidst these advances, certain forms of perfectionism have been neglected, such as the tendency to direct one’ s need for perfection outward toward others in a demanding and hyper-critical way. Consider a grandiose boss who intensely demands perfection of her employee, or an entitled husband who responds to perceived faults in his spouse with harsh criticism. Such anecdotes are common, yet there is presently no conceptual model that fully captures this personality style. Hewitt and Flett (1990, 1991) have published important work describing other-oriented perfectionism, which is char- acterized by holding perfectionistic expectations for others. Research suggests other-oriented perfectionism is a Bdark^ form of perfectionism linked to intimacy problems (Stoeber 2014), yet it shows little relation to interpersonal difficulties after controlling for other forms of perfectionism (Mackinnon et al. 2012). Perhaps due to this poorer predictive utility, other- oriented perfectionism has often been neglected whereas other dimensions are clearly represented in the broad domains of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. Similar to how models of perfectionism advanced with the addition of self-criticism (Blankstein and Dunkley 2002), we believe other-oriented perfectionism may yet find a valued place with- in a broader trait constellation to better reflect the harsh and the critical personality described by theory. Accounts of lofty and unreasonable standards for others are commonly represented in theoretical descriptions of narcis- sism, yet the absence of other-directed perfectionism in * Simon B. Sherry simon.sherry@dal.ca 1 Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Life Sciences Centre, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2 2 Department of Psychology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada 3 Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, 8th Floor, Abbie J. Lane Memorial Building, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 2E2 J Psychopathol Behav Assess DOI 10.1007/s10862-016-9537-y