State grandiose and vulnerable narcissism in relation to perfectionistic cognitions

Narcissism and perfectionism are both associated with a range of achievement-related and clinical outcomes and are correlated at the trait level. Despite these indications of a shared foundation, their association has yet to be analyzed at the state level, where it may reveal shared situational contingencies. To address this gap, the present study examined the constructs' state-level relationship in daily life. For that purpose, we conducted an ambulatory assessment study with N = 285 participants across 42 measurement occasions. Trait-level perfectionism and narcissism were assessed at baseline, while their state-level counterparts were assessed during the ambulatory assessment phase. As expected, trait narcissism and perfectionism were positively correlated. Using multi-level modeling, we analyzed within- and between-person associations of the state-level constructs. State grandiose narcissism was positively associated with perfectionistic striving cognitions and negatively with perfectionistic concern cognitions, whereas state vulnerable narcissism was positively related to perfectionistic concern cognitions. At the between-person level, average state grandiose narcissism was positively related to perfectionistic striving cognitions, while state vulnerable narcissism was positively related to perfectionistic concern cognitions. These associations are discussed in terms of potential underlying processes. Future research could further explore shared situational contingencies.