Self-esteem: How’s it measured?
Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale
•Rosenberg (1965):
–He developed a famous scale in 1965 to measure self-esteem.
–Self-esteem is normally measured using the Rosenberg’s scale, which requires participants to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements about themselves.
–Rosenberg’s scale is used to measure global self-esteem.
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Self-esteem scale•Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale is a ten-item Likert scale with items answered on a four-point scale — from strongly agree to strongly disagree.
•Likert scale: It refers to scales that ask people to agree or disagree with a statement about something. It was Likert who discovered it.
•Ten-item scale: It refers to a scale with 10 statements or questions.
•Four-point: It refers to a scale with only 4 options/anchors to choose from.
•Anchors for the self-esteem scale:
•Four-point scale:
–Strongly disagree (1)
–Disagree (2)
–Agree (3)
–Strongly agree (4)
•A scale is also called a questionnaire or a measure.
•Other Likert scale anchors:
•7-point Likert scale:
–Strongly disagree (1)
–Disagree (2)
–Slightly disagree (3)
–Neither agree nor disagree (4)
–Slightly agree (5)
–Agree (6)
–Strongly agree (7)
Instructions on scales
•Instruction to participants completing Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale:
–The statements below have been used by people to evaluate/describe themselves.
–Please read through each one carefully and circle the number that best describes how much you feel about yourself.
Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale
•Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Agree (3), Strongly Agree (4):
1.On the whole I am satisfied with myself.------
2.I feel that I have a number of good qualities.------
3.At times I think that I am no good at all (R).------
4.I am able to do things as well as most other people.-----
5.I feel I do not have much to be proud of (R).-----
6.I feel that I am a person of worth, at least the equal of others.-
7.I certainly feel useless at times (R).-------
8.I take a positive attitude towards myself.------
9.I wish I could have more respect for myself (R).------
10.All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure (R).------
Scoring Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale
•Scoring:
•Reverse (R) items 3,5,7,9,&10.
•Scoring:
•Add scores on all items from 1 to 10.
•Possible range of scores: 10 to 40.
•Calculating range: 1×10 = 10
4 ×10 = 40
Interpreting self-esteem scores on Rosenberg’s scale
–High self-esteem (It results from a positive evaluation of oneself).
•Scores above 10 (i.e., 11 to 40)
–Low-self-esteem (It results from a negative evaluation of oneself).
•Scores below 10 (i.e., 01 to 9)
–The higher the score the higher the self-esteem.
Improving your self-esteem
1.Do a self assessment of your self-esteem level:
–Use the self-esteem scale to know your level of self-esteem
–Take an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses.
–Learn to focus on your strengths and build on the things you do well.
2. Take care of your physical health:
–Practice good health habits. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and good grooming habits will help you feel good about yourself.
–Eat good food, relax, and have enough sleep.
–Try to do 10-15 minutes of moderate exercise (walking) every day.
3. Have positive attitude to events:
–Avoid negative thinking (e.g., “I’ll never be able to do this”).
–When you experience defeat, avoid dwelling on it.
–Try to learn something positive from the experience (defeat) and then move on.
4. Have a good social support system
–Select friends who will support you and encourage you to do your best.
–Avoid doing things just to “go along with the crowd” (groupthink).
–You will feel better about yourself when you do things that match your values.
–Do something nice for others. Consider helping out more at home or doing volunteer work in your community.
5. Reward yourself:
–Take some time each day to do something you really enjoy.
–Develop a sense of humour.
–Learn to laugh at yourself, rather than taking every mistake seriously.
–Reward yourself when you do something well. Learn to accept compliments when others give them.
–Give yourself regular treats, fun to remind yourself that you deserve nurture and pleasure.