Self-Esteem in 60 Seconds: The Six-Item State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES-6)

With 20 items, the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES) can be cumbersome in settings that demand efficiency. The present research created an efficient six-item version of the SSES that preserves score reliability and validity and its three-dimensional structure: social, appearance, and performance self-esteem. Item response theory and confirmatory factor analyses identified the “best” six items—two from each dimension (Study 1). Participants completed the SSES four times at 2-week intervals (Studies 2 and 3). The six-item SSES’ scores showed adequate test–retest reliability, explained substantial variance in trait-relevant measures, and showed convergent validity with related self-esteem measures. Participants completed the SSES and a laboratory experiment where they received negative feedback on an essay they had written and could retaliate against their evaluator by allocating hot sauce for them to consume (Study 4). The six-item SSES interacted with self-esteem instability in expected ways to predict hot sauce allocated.

[1]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  The Three-Item Thinking about Your Partner's Drinking Scale (TPD-3): Item Response Theory, Reliability, and Validity. , 2020, Journal of marital and family therapy.

[2]  R. Poldrack,et al.  A Psychometric Analysis of the Brief Self-Control Scale , 2019, Assessment.

[3]  Reginald B. Adams,et al.  Many Labs 2: Investigating Variation in Replicability Across Sample and Setting , 2018 .

[4]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  Can Rosenberg’s (1965) Stability of Self Scale capture within-person self-esteem variability? Meta-analytic validity and test–retest reliability , 2017 .

[5]  Gary H. McClelland,et al.  Data Analysis: A Model Comparison Approach To Regression, ANOVA, and Beyond, Third Edition , 2017 .

[6]  J. Shepperd,et al.  Establishing an Information Avoidance Scale. , 2016, Psychological assessment.

[7]  R. Kline.  Principles and practice of structural equation modeling, 4th ed. , 2016 .

[8]  Bonnie M. Le,et al.  The Brief Aggression Questionnaire: Structure, Validity, Reliability, and Generalizability , 2015, Journal of personality assessment.

[9]  W. Fleeson,et al.  Whole Trait Theory. , 2015, Journal of research in personality.

[10]  Bonnie M. Le,et al.  The brief aggression questionnaire: psychometric and behavioral evidence for an efficient measure of trait aggression. , 2014, Aggressive behavior.

[11]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  The single-item need to belong scale. , 2013 .

[12]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  Putting the "IRT" in "Dirty" : item response theory analyses of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen - an efficient measure of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism , 2013 .

[13]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  “Hit Me, Maybe, One More Time”: Brief measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking and their prediction of blackjack bets and sexual promiscuity , 2012 .

[14]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  On creating and using short forms of scales in secondary research. , 2011 .

[15]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  The dirty dozen: a concise measure of the dark triad. , 2010, Psychological assessment.

[16]  Ryo Okada.  A meta-analytic review of the relation between self-esteem level and self-esteem instability , 2010 .

[17]  Gary H. McClelland,et al.  Data analysis: A model comparison approach (2nd ed.). , 2009 .

[18]  K. Vohs,et al.  Psychology as the Science of Self-reports and Finger Movements Whatever Happened to Actual Behavior? , 2022 .

[19]  O. John,et al.  Measuring personality in one minute or less: A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German , 2007 .

[20]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  Different slopes for different folks: Self-esteem instability and gender as moderators of the relationship between self-esteem and attitudinal aggression , 2007 .

[21]  S. Reise,et al.  Toward modern psychometrics: Application of item response theory models in personality research. , 2007 .

[22]  Simine Vazire,et al.  The self-report method. , 2007 .

[23]  S. Folkman,et al.  A validity and reliability study of the coping self-efficacy scale. , 2006, British journal of health psychology.

[24]  Richard E. Lucas,et al.  The mini-IPIP scales: tiny-yet-effective measures of the Big Five factors of personality. , 2006, Psychological assessment.

[25]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  Behavioral and self‐reported aggression as a function of domain‐specific self‐esteem , 2006 .

[26]  Mark J. Gierl,et al.  Using Multidimensional Item Response Theory to Evaluate Educational and Psychological Tests , 2005 .

[27]  C. Judd,et al.  Adjusting researchers' approach to adjustment: On the use of covariates when testing interactions , 2004 .

[28]  S. Gosling,et al.  A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains , 2003 .

[29]  E. Diener,et al.  Experience Sampling: Promises and Pitfalls, Strengths and Weaknesses , 2003 .

[30]  L. F. Barrett,et al.  A Practical Guide to Experience-Sampling Procedures , 2003 .

[31]  Gregory D. Webster,et al.  The functional domain specificity of self-esteem and the differential prediction of aggression. , 2002, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[32]  John B. Nezlek,et al.  PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN Nezlek, Gable / DAILY EVENTS AND DAILY ADJUSTMENT Depression as a Moderator of Relationships Between Positive Daily Events and Day-to-Day Psychological Adjustment , 2001 .

[33]  John B. Nezlek,et al.  Multilevel Random Coefficient Analyses of Event- and Interval-Contingent Data in Social and Personality Psychology Research , 2001 .

[34]  W. Fleeson.  Toward a structure- and process-integrated view of personality: traits as density distribution of states. , 2001, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[35]  J. Nezlek,et al.  Day-to-Day Relationships among Self-Concept Clarity, Self-Esteem, Daily Events, and Mood , 2001 .

[36]  K. Trzesniewski,et al.  Measuring Global Self-Esteem: Construct Validation of a Single-Item Measure and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale , 2001 .

[37]  R. MacCallum,et al.  Sample size in factor analysis. , 1999 .

[38]  P. Bentler,et al.  Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis : Conventional criteria versus new alternatives , 1999 .

[39]  Joel D. Lieberman,et al.  A hot new way to measure aggression: Hot sauce allocation , 1999 .

[40]  B. Bushman,et al.  Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression: does self-love or self-hate lead to violence? , 1998, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[41]  Rex B. Kline,et al.  Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling , 1998 .

[42]  Jan de Leeuw,et al.  Introducing Multilevel Modeling , 1998 .

[43]  G. R. Leon,et al.  Self-esteem and change in body mass index over 3 years in a cohort of adolescents. , 1996, Obesity research.

[44]  M. L. Klotz,et al.  Personal contact, individuation, and the better-than-average effect. , 1995 .

[45]  Larry E. Toothaker,et al.  Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions , 1991 .

[46]  C. Judd,et al.  Statistical difficulties of detecting interactions and moderator effects. , 1993, Psychological bulletin.

[47]  J. M. Cortina,et al.  What Is Coefficient Alpha? An Examination of Theory and Applications , 1993 .

[48]  M. Browne,et al.  Alternative Ways of Assessing Model Fit , 1992 .

[49]  Jacob Cohen,et al.  A power primer. , 1992, Psychological bulletin.

[50]  Anthony S. Bryk,et al.  Hierarchical Linear Models: Applications and Data Analysis Methods , 1992 .

[51]  T. Heatherton,et al.  Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. , 1991 .

[52]  M. Kernis,et al.  Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility. , 1989, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[53]  C. Holden.  Measuring personality. , 1987, Science.

[54]  J. H. Steiger.  Tests for comparing elements of a correlation matrix. , 1980 .

[55]  Jacob Cohen,et al.  Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences , 1979 .

[56]  C. B. Colby.  The weirdest people in the world , 1973 .

[57]  D. J. Lee.  Society and the Adolescent Self-Image , 1969 .

[58]  F. Samejima.  Estimation of latent ability using a response pattern of graded scores , 1968 .