Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI)

Abstract

The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) is one of the most widely recognized and frequently utilized psychometric instruments designed to measure an individual’s conscious feelings of self-esteem. Developed by Stanley Coopersmith, the scale provides a quantitative assessment of evaluative attitudes toward the self in four distinct domains: peers, parents, school/work, and general self. Although originally developed for children and adolescents, the inventory has been adapted and validated for use across the lifespan, serving as a critical tool in clinical, educational, and research settings to identify individuals needing support or intervention related to self-concept.

The standard school form of the CSEI typically consists of 58 declarative statements, requiring a simple dichotomous response (“Like Me” or “Unlike Me”). The scale includes a crucial Lie Scale component to detect defensiveness or attempts by the respondent to portray themselves in an excessively positive light, thereby enhancing the integrity of the total self-esteem score.

Keywords

Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, CSEI, Self-Esteem, Psychological Assessment, Self-Concept, Adolescence, Children, Lie Scale, Psychometric.

Authors

Stanley Coopersmith

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory is to provide a reliable and valid measure of global self-esteem. It is intended for use by clinicians, educators, and researchers to assess the overall level of self-regard and self-acceptance in subjects. The inventory helps in identifying individuals, particularly students, who may be experiencing low self-esteem, which is often associated with academic difficulties, social issues, and psychological distress.

Furthermore, the CSEI is designed to yield subscale scores, allowing professionals to pinpoint specific areas of life—such as interactions with parents, performance in school, or relationships with peers—where an individual’s self-evaluation is particularly strong or weak. This multidimensional approach supports targeted therapeutic or educational interventions.

Construct

The CSEI measures the psychological construct of self-esteem, which Coopersmith defined as the evaluation an individual makes and customarily maintains toward himself; it expresses an attitude of approval or disapproval and indicates the extent to which the individual believes himself to be capable, significant, successful, and worthy. This construct is viewed not as a static trait but as a relatively stable, yet measurable, set of self-attitudes.

The scale operationalizes self-esteem across four primary dimensions, which contribute to the overall score: the General Self-Esteem subscale (measuring overall self-acceptance), the Social Self-Peers subscale (measuring satisfaction with social relationships), the Home-Parents subscale (measuring feelings about interactions with family), and the School/Work subscale (measuring self-evaluation in achievement settings). The inclusion of the Lie Scale serves to monitor response bias, ensuring that the measured construct reflects genuine self-appraisal rather than social desirability.

Validity

The validity of the CSEI has been extensively documented since its introduction. Initial studies established strong concurrent validity by demonstrating significant correlations between CSEI scores and behavioral ratings of self-esteem provided by teachers and peers. Individuals identified as having high self-esteem based on the CSEI typically displayed more confidence, persistence, and independence in observed behavior.

Construct validity is supported by its consistent ability to differentiate between clinical populations (e.g., those with depression or anxiety) and non-clinical populations. Furthermore, research, including the factor analytic work by Kokenes (1978), confirms that the items load onto the intended subscales, providing empirical support for the multi-dimensional structure hypothesized by Coopersmith.

Reliability

The CSEI demonstrates robust psychometric reliability across various age groups and settings. Internal consistency, measured typically using Cronbach’s alpha, generally falls within the excellent range (0.85 to 0.90 for the total scale), indicating that the items effectively measure a unified construct of self-esteem.

Stability over time is confirmed by high Test-Retest Reliability coefficients. For instance, studies have reported coefficients in the 0.80s over several weeks. Ryden (1978) specifically investigated the adult version of the CSEI, confirming its stability and offering insights into its relationship with social desirability biases, further solidifying the scale’s trustworthiness for longitudinal research and clinical re-assessment.

Factor Analysis

Early Factor Analysis studies, such as the influential work conducted by Kokenes (1978), supported the hierarchical structure of the CSEI. These analyses consistently revealed a primary, overarching factor representing global self-esteem, which accounts for the largest proportion of variance in the scores.

Below the global factor, orthogonal factors corresponding to the hypothesized subscales (General Self, Social Self-Peers, Home-Parents, and School/Work) were identified. This factor structure confirms that while the scale provides a single summary score of self-worth, it is constructed from conceptually distinct domains of self-appraisal, making it a valuable tool for detailed psychological profiling.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Inventory

Format: Dichotomous (Binary choice: “Like Me” or “Unlike Me”). Scoring is typically 2 points for a high self-esteem response and 0 points otherwise. Total score ranges from 0 to 100 on the 50-item short form, or 0 to 58 on the full form.

Language Available: English (Original), various translations exist.

Population Group: Children, Adolescents, and Adults (with appropriate version use).

Age Group: Originally 8 to 15 years; Adult forms are also widely used.

Population Details: Used in clinical, educational, and research settings globally to screen for and assess self-concept levels.

Test Methodology: Pen-and-paper or digital administration. Participants respond to 58 items (or 25/50 items in shorter versions) by indicating whether the statement is “Like Me” or “Unlike Me”. Scoring includes a check for the Lie Scale items (8 items) to ensure honest reporting.

Keywords

Global Self-Esteem, Psychological Inventory, Adolescent Development, Factor Analysis, Clinical Assessment, Social Desirability, Test-Retest Reliability.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not available in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not available in source.

Correspondence Address: Information not available in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was initially developed in 1959, with the foundational research published that year, and the comprehensive work detailing the scale and its development published in 1967 (The Antecedents of Self-Esteem). Availability and licensing generally require purchase from the official publisher or authorized distributors, and fees apply for professional use of the copyrighted materials.

The instrument is widely available for academic and research purposes. The original PDF for the scale can be downloaded here: http://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/Self_Measures_for_Self-Esteem_COOPERSMITH_SELF-ESTEEM_INVENTORY.pdf

Additional resources, including a scale PDF, are available here: http://www.humanresourcefulness.net/CypressCollege/docs/HUSR224/Coopersmith_Self_Esteem_Scale.pdf and here: http://bcur.org/journals/index.php/TPSS/article/downloadSuppFile/312/25

Reference’s

• Coopersmith‚ S. (1959). A method for determining types of self-esteem. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology‚ 59(1)‚ 87-94.

• Coopersmith‚ S. (1967). The antecedents of self-esteem. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Co.

• Ryden‚ M. B. 1978. An adult version of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory: Test-retest reliability and social desirability. Psychological Reports 43:1189–1190.

• Kokenes‚ B. (1978). A factor analytic study of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Adolescence‚ 13‚ 149-155.

Items of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I spend a lot of time daydreaming.
2. I’m pretty sure of myself.
3. I often wish I were someone else.
4. I’m easy to like.
5. My family and I have a lot of fun together.
6. I never worry about anything.
7. I find it very hard to talk in front of a group.
8. I wish I were younger.
9. There are lots of things about myself I’d change if I could.
10. I can make up my mind without too much trouble.
11. I’m a lot of fun to be with.
12. I get upset easily at home.
13. I always do the right thing.
14. I’m proud of my work.
15. Someone always has to tell me what to do.
16. It takes me a long time to get used to anything new.
17. I’m often sorry for the things I do.
18. I’m popular with people my own age.
19. My family usually considers my feelings.
20. I’m never happy.
21. I’m doing the best work that I can.
22. I give in very easily.
23. I can usually take care of myself.
24. I’m pretty happy.
25. I would rather associate with people younger than me.
26. My family expects too much of me.
27. I like everyone I know.
28. I like to be called on when I am in a group.
29. I understand myself.
30. It’s pretty tough to be me.
31. Things are all mixed up in my life.
32. People usually follow my ideas.
33. No one pays much attention to me at home.
34. I never get scolded.
35. I’m not doing as well at work as I’d like to.
36. I can make up my mind and stick to it.
37. I really don’t like being a man/woman.
38. I have a low opinion of myself.
39. I don’t like to be with other people.
40. There are many times when I’d like to leave home.
41. I’m never shy.
42. I often feel upset.
43. I often feel ashamed of myself.
44. I’m not as nice-looking as most people.
45. If I have something to say‚ I usually say it.
46. People pick on me very often.
47. My family understands me.
48. I always tell the truth.
49. My employer or supervisor makes me feel I’m not good enough.
50. I don’t care what happens to me.
51. I’m a failure.
52. I get upset easily when I am scolded.
53. Most people are better liked than I am.
54. I usually feel as if my family is pushing me.
55. I always know what to say to people.
56. I often get discouraged.
57. Things usually don’t bother me.
58. I can’t be depended on.

Lie Scale Items and Scoring Instructions:

The response format is “Like Me” or “Unlike Me”.

• Lie Scale items: 1‚ 6‚ 13‚ 20‚ 27‚ 34‚ 41‚ 48. If a participant answered “like me” for 3 or more of these items‚ it suggests that he or she is trying too hard to present him or herself in a positive light. These participants should not be included in the analyses.
• High Self Esteem Items were: “Like Me” on 2‚ 4‚ 5‚ 10‚ 11‚ 14‚ 18‚ 19‚ 21‚ 23‚ 24‚ 28‚ 29‚ 32‚ 36‚ 45‚ 47‚ 55‚ 57
• “Unlike Me” on 3‚ 7‚ 8‚ 9‚ 12‚ 15‚ 16‚ 17‚ 22‚ 25‚ 26‚ 30‚ 31‚ 33‚ 35‚ 37‚ 38‚ 39‚ 40‚ 42‚ 43‚ 44‚ 46‚ 49‚ 50‚ 51‚ 52‚ 53‚ 54‚ 56‚ 58