Self-Consciousness Scale

Abstract

The Self-Consciousness Scale (Fenigstein, Scheier, & Buss, 1975) was constructed to assess individual differences in public and private self-consciousness. The first step in constructing the scale was to identify behaviors that constitute the domain of self-consciousness. The final version of the scale consisted of 23 items. Each item was rated on a scale of 0 (extremely uncharacteristic) to 4 (extremely characteristic). The scale was first administered to a sample of 179 male and 253 female college students. Norms and test-retest reliability were presented. Factor analysis of the scale revealed that self-consciousness had three components: public, private, and social anxiety. The relationships among these three factors were examined. The scale was found useful in research on social behavior, and its implications for research and therapy were discussed. (PsycTESTS Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)