SINGLE-ITEM SELF-ESTEEM SCALE
Instructions for participants:
Please indicate the extent to which you agree with this statement.
1.I have high self-esteem
Notes: Generally used with a 5-point scale ranging from 1 5not very true of me to 5 5very true of me.
Source : Reproduced with permission.
Self-Liking/Self-Competence Scale /C0Revised (SLSC-R)
(Tafarodi & Swann, 2001 ).
Variable
Tafarodi and Swann (1995) argued that global self-esteem has two distinct components, one corresponding to
a personal sense of worth (termed self-liking) and one corresponding to a sense of personal efficacy (termed self-
competence). Self-liking is a general feeling towards the self, such as feeling positive affect when thinking of the
self. Self-competence is the feeling of being capable and in control, and the belief that one will be successful in
the future.
Description
The SLSC is a 16 -item self-report scale that includes items that measure self-liking and self-competence that
are rated on a 5-point Likert-type response scale. The two 8-item subscales correlate from .47 to .59 ( Mar,
DeYoung, Higgins, & Peterson, 2006; Meagher & Aidman, 2004; Tafarodi & Swann, 2001; Tafarodi, Wild, & Ho,
2010; Vandromme, Hermans, Spruyt, & Eelen, 2007; Wilkinson, 2010 ). Fifty percent of the items are reverse-
worded (see discussion in Chapter 1). Tafarodi and Swann (1985) argue that these dimensions are related, but
substantially distinct; thus, only studies that evaluated distinct self-liking and self-competence scales are
reviewed here.
Sample
Three large samples, all university students ( Ns51,053, 835, and 844, respectively) were used in the
construction/validation of the original SLSC measure ( Tafarodi & Swann, 1995 ). The revised SLSC scale was based
on two further samples of university students ( Ns51,325 and N5298, respectively) ( Tafarodi & Swann, 2001 ).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
Cronbach alpha coefficients were reported for self-liking (ranging from .70 to .98) and self-competence
(ranging from .56 to .92) across the original and revised subscales ( Aidman, 1998 ; Bosson & Swann, 1991;
Cicero & Kerns, 2011 ;Mar et al., 2006 ;Oakes et al., 2008 ;Riketta & Zieglet, 2006 ;Sasaki et al., 2010 ;Silvera et al.,
2001;Song, Thompson, & Ferrer, 2009 ;Tafarodi & Swann, 1995,2001 ;Vandromme et al., 2007 ;Wilkinson,
2010). In addition, split-half reliability coefficients were high for both self-liking (.92) and self-competence
(.75; Vandromme et al., 2007 ).
Test/C0Retest
Self-liking exhibited a test /C0retest reliability coefficient of .80 over a 3-week interval and self-competence exhib-
ited a stability coefficient of .78 ( Tafarodi & Swann, 1995 ). Similar figures have been reported for the revised
scales (.75 and .78, respectively, N5138; Tafarodi & Swann, 2001 ).140 6. MEASURES OF SELF-ESTEEM
II. EMOTIONAL DISPOSITIONS