Table of Contents
Abstract
The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS) is a multidimensional psychometric instrument designed to assess the complex structure of perfectionism by examining both its broader superordinate factors and specific facets. The scale identifies three primary higher-order factors: rigid perfectionism, self-critical perfectionism, and narcissistic perfectionism. Notably, the BTPS is unique as the first and only scale to include a comprehensive measure specifically dedicated to narcissistic perfectionism. These three global factors are derived from ten underlying lower-order perfectionism facets, offering a nuanced assessment tool for researchers and academics studying personality and psychopathology.
Keywords
BTPS, Perfectionism, Rigid Perfectionism, Self-Critical Perfectionism, Narcissistic Perfectionism, Psychological Assessment, Multidimensional Scale, Personality.
Authors
Martin M. Smith, D. H. Saklofske, J. Stoeber, S. B. Sherry
Purpose
The primary purpose of the Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS) is to facilitate advanced academic and research purposes related to the conceptualization and measurement of perfectionism. It was developed to overcome the limitations of older scales by providing a highly differentiated, multidimensional assessment framework.
By distinguishing between three distinct higher-order perfectionism dimensions—including the novel factor of narcissistic perfectionism—the BTPS allows researchers to precisely investigate the differential relationships between specific aspects of perfectionism and various psychological outcomes, such as well-being, motivation, and psychopathology.
Construct
The BTPS measures the construct of perfectionism hierarchically, utilizing 10 lower-order facets that aggregate into three distinct higher-order global factors. This structure provides a comprehensive profile of an individual’s perfectionistic tendencies.
The ten lower-order facets of the BTPS are:
- Self-oriented perfectionism (SOP)
- Self-worth contingencies (SWC)
- Concern over mistakes (COM)
- Doubts about actions (DAA)
- Self-criticism (SC)
- Socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP)
- Other-oriented perfectionism (OOP)
- Hypercriticism (HC)
- Grandiosity (GRAN)
- Entitlement (ENT)
These facets combine to form the three higher-order factors:
- Rigid perfectionism: Characterized by combining Self-oriented perfectionism and Self-worth contingencies.
- Self-critical perfectionism: Characterized by combining Concern over mistakes, Doubts about actions, Self-criticism, and Socially-prescribed perfectionism.
- Narcissistic Perfectionism: Characterized by combining Other-oriented perfectionism, Hypercriticism, Entitlement, and Grandiosity.
Validity
Comprehensive psychometric properties, including detailed information regarding the scale’s validity, are documented and established in the primary reference publication. The development of the BTPS involved rigorous procedures to ensure that the scale accurately measures the intended constructs—the three global factors and their underlying facets—as evidenced by the confirmatory factor analysis results which support its hierarchical structure.
Reliability
The reliability of the BTPS, including internal consistency measures for the overall scale and its various subscales (the three higher-order factors and ten lower-order facets), has been thoroughly investigated and reported by the authors. This reliability data confirms the stability and consistency of the scores derived from the BTPS, making it a dependable instrument for use in psychological research.
Factor Analysis
The fundamental structure of the BTPS was established through confirmatory factor analysis, which validated the proposed hierarchical model. This analysis confirmed that the 45 items load onto 10 distinct lower-order facets, which in turn aggregate robustly into the three specified higher-order global factors: Rigid Perfectionism, Self-Critical Perfectionism, and Narcissistic Perfectionism. This statistically supported structure is crucial for the scale’s utility in differentiating between various manifestations of perfectionism.
Instrument
Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometric Scale
Format: 45 items utilizing a 5-point Likert scale response format.
Language Available: English (Original)
Population Group: General population, typically used with university students and adults in academic research settings.
Age Group: Adolescents and Adults
Population Details: Developed and validated using samples relevant to psychological research on personality traits and maladaptive behaviors.
Test Methodology: Respondents rate their degree of agreement or disagreement with each statement on a scale ranging from 1 (Disagree Strongly) to 5 (Agree Strongly).
Keywords
Psychological assessment, Personality traits, Self-criticism, Entitlement, Grandiosity, Self-worth, Likert scale, Factor analysis, Perfectionism, Narcissistic Perfectionism.
Authors
Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.
Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.
Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.
Permissions & Fee and Test Year
The BTPS is copyrighted by Martin M. Smith. Permission is explicitly granted to use and reproduce this measure for academic and research purposes without a fee. The primary reference detailing the scale’s development and psychometrics was published in 2016.
Reference’s
Smith, M. M., Saklofske, D. H., Stoeber, J., & Sherry, S. B. (2016). The big three perfectionism scale: A new measure of perfectionism. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.
Items of the The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS)
Instructions: Please answer each statement below by putting a circle around the number that best reflects your degree of agreement or disagreement with the following statements. There are five possible responses to each statement ranging from ‘Disagree Strongly’ (number 1) to ‘Agree Strongly’ (number 5).
- Disagree strongly
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Agree strongly
| 1. I strive to be as perfect as possible. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 2. I have doubts about most of my actions. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 3. I am highly critical of other people’s imperfections. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 4. Other people acknowledge my superior ability. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 5. People are disappointed in me whenever I don’t do something perfectly. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6. I have difficulty forgiving myself when my performance is not flawless. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 7. I am quick to point out other people’s flaws. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 8. When I make a mistake, I feel like a failure. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 9. Everyone expects me to be perfect. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 10. I have a strong need to be perfect. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 11. I am never sure if I am doing things the correct way. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 12. It is important to me that other people do things perfectly. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 13. It bothers me when people don’t notice how perfect I am. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 14. I deserve to always have things go my way. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 15. I am the absolute best at what I do. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 16. My value as a person depends on being perfect. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 17. I am very concerned about the possibility of making a mistake. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 18. When my performance falls short of perfection, I get very mad at myself. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 19. I judge myself harshly when I don’t do something perfectly | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 20. I always need to be aiming for perfection to feel “right” about myself. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 21. I know that I am perfect. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 22. I have doubts about everything I do. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 23. I could never respect myself if I stopped trying to achieve perfection. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 24. The idea of making a mistake frightens me. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 25. I feel uncertain about most things I do. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 26. I feel disappointed with myself, when I don’t do something perfectly | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 27. I never settle for less than perfection from myself. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 28. I am entitled to special treatment. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 29. It is important to me to be perfect in everything I attempt. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 30. I feel dissatisfied with other people, even when I know they are trying their best. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 31. Other people secretly admire my perfection. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 32. I tend to doubt whether I am doing something “right”. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 33. I expect other people to bend the rules for me. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 34. People make excessive demands of me. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 35. When I notice that I have made a mistake, I feel ashamed. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 36. People complain that I expect too much of them. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 37. I demand perfection from my family and friends. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 38. Striving to be as perfect as possible makes me feel worthwhile. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 39. I expect those close to me to be perfect. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 40. My opinion of myself is tied to being perfect. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 41. I get frustrated when other people make mistakes. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 42. I do things perfectly, or I don’t do them at all. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 43. Everything that other people do must be flawless. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 44. Making even a small mistake would upset me. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 45. People expect too much from me. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Scoring Directions for the Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS)
The BTPS assesses three higher-order global factors (rigid perfectionism, self-critical perfectionism, narcissistic perfectionism) via 10 lower-order perfectionism facets. Scoring involves summing the items for each facet, and then summing the facets to determine the higher-order factor scores.
- Self-oriented perfectionism (SOP; 5 items): Sum of items 1, 10, 27, 29, and 42
- Self-worth contingencies (SWC; 5 items): Sum of items 16, 20, 23, 38, and 40
- Concern over mistakes (COM; 5 items): Sum of items: 8, 17, 24, 35, and 44
- Doubts about action (DAA; 5 items): Sum of items: 2, 11, 22, 25, 32
- Self-criticism (SC; 4 items): Sum of items: 6, 18, 19, and 26
- Socially-prescribed perfectionism (SPP; 4 items): Sum of items: 5, 9, 34, and 45
- Other-oriented perfectionism (OOP; 5 items): Sum of items: 12, 36, 37, 39, and 43
- Hypercriticism (HC; 4 items): Sum of items: 3, 7, 30, and 41
- Entitlement (ENT: 4 Items): Sum of items: 13, 14, 28, and 33
- Grandiosity (GRAN: 4 Items): Sum of items 4, 15, 21, and 31
- Rigid perfectionism: Sum Self-oriented perfectionism and Self-worth contingencies
- Self-critical perfectionism: Sum Concern over mistakes, Doubts about actions, Self-criticism, and Socially-prescribed perfectionism
- Narcissistic Perfectionism: Sum Other-oriented perfectionism, Hypercriticism, Entitlement, and Grandiosity
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2025). The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/the-big-three-perfectionism-scale-btps/
Mohammed looti. "The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 25 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/the-big-three-perfectionism-scale-btps/.
Mohammed looti. "The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/the-big-three-perfectionism-scale-btps/.
Mohammed looti (2025) 'The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS)', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/the-big-three-perfectionism-scale-btps/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS)," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.
Mohammed looti. The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.