There are considerable interindividual differences in people's capacity to excel in performance domains; the present research used relevant personality theory to understand individual differences in two important areas: performance under pressure and persistence. Across three studies, reinforcement sensitivity theory was applied to examine performance in response to acute and prolonged pressure whilst considering the moderating effects of situational, cognitive, and higher-order processes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants performed a skilled motor task after receiving either early or late warning of an upcoming pressure manipulation. The results show that heightened sensitivity to punishment is adaptive for motor performance under pressure when threats are detected early and these beneficial effects appear to be underpinned by t he implementation of effective coping strategies. In Study 3, we examined the interactive effects of lower-level reinforcement sensitivities and higher-order reflective systems t hat mediate goal-directed control of behaviour ( effortful control) to predict long-term performance under pressure (mental toughness). Contrary to expectation , the present sample revealed no relationship between reinforcement sensitivities and effortful control to predict mental toughness. Studies 4-6 examined narcissism and persistence. By considering the interactive effects of grandiose and vulnerable components of narcissism, our results show that people who possess high levels of narcissistic grandiosity are only motivated to display persistence when they also possess a degree of self-doubt in their superiority . Overall , the results support the perspective that seemingly 'negative' traits can be adaptive in performance domains and stress the importance of considering relevant personality trait interactions to predict performance.