2000). SES scores also correlated with extraversion ( r520.47), neuroticism ( r50.55), and openness to experience
(r520.25). A comparison of how the SES and the Embarrassability Scale correlated with an array of variables
showed that the SES consistently correlated more strongly with other measures of social-evaluative concerns than
did the Embarrassability Scale.
Divergent/Discriminant
Scores on the SES did not correlate with agreeableness ( r520.10), conscientiousness ( r520.15), emotional
empathy ( r50.07), or private self-consciousness ( r50.12). Furthermore, SES scores correlated more strongly with
measures that are closely related specifically to social-evaluative concerns than with more general measures of
emotionality and personality ( Kelly & Jones, 1997 ). The correlation between the SES and the Marlowe /C0Crowne
Social Desirability Scale was 20.17 ( Kelly & Jones, 1997 ).
Construct/Factor Analytic
A principal components analysis of the correlations among the responses of 203 English adults revealed the SES
to be unidimensional, with loadings on the single component ranging from 0.53 to 0.83 ( Maltby & Day, 2000 ).
Criterion/Predictive
No evidence on criterion or predictive validity is currently available.
Location
Kelly, K.M., & Jones, W.H. (1997). Assessment of dispositional embarrassability. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 10 ,
307/C0333.
Results and Comments
The Susceptibility to Embarrassment Scale takes a different approach to measuring the tendency to become
embarrassed than Modigliani’s (1966) widely-used Embarrassability Scale. Whereas Modigliani’s scale assesses
the degree to which people feel embarrassed across a variety of situations, the Susceptibility to Embarrassment
Scale assesses the dispositions that are presumed to underlie embarrassability. Available evidence suggests that
the SES is a reliable and valid measure of this construct.
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO EMBARRASSMENT SCALE
We are interested in people’s personality attributes.
Listed below are a variety of statements. Please read
each statement carefully and indicate the extent to which
you feel it applies to you using the following scale:
12 3 4 5 6 7
Not at all
like meVery much
like me
1.I feel unsure of myself.
2.I don’t feel comfortable in public unless my
clothing, hair, etc. are just right.
3.I feel uncomfortable in a group of people.
4.I don’t mind being the center of attention. (R)
5.I probably care too much about how I come across
to others.
6.I feel inadequate when I am talking to someone I
just met.
7.I feel clumsy in social situations.
8.I feel uncomfortable leaving the house when I don’t
look my best.
9.Sometimes I just feel exposed.10.If e e lh u m i l i a t e di fIm a k eam i s t a k ei nf r o n to fag r o u p .
11.I get flustered when speaking in front of a group.
12.I often feel emotionally exposed in public and with
groups of people.
13.It is unsettling to be the center of attention.
14.I get tense just thinking about making a presentation
by myself.
15.I have felt mortified or humiliated over minor
embarrassment.
16.I am very much afraid of making mistakes in public.
17.I don’t like being in crowds.
18.I do not blush easily. (R)
19.I often worry about looking stupid.
20.I feel so vulnerable.
21.I am concerned about what others think of me.
22.I’m afraid that things I say will sound stupid.
23.I worry about making a fool out of myself.
24.What other people think of me is very important.
25.I am not easily embarrassed. (R)
Notes :
(R) Reverse scored item.
Reproduced with permission.464 16. MEASURES OF CONCERNS WITH PUBLIC IMAGE AND SOCIAL EVALUATION
IV. INTERPERSONAL STYLES