Modified Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (a)

Abstract

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), presented here as the Modified Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Inventory (a), is a foundational 10-item psychometric instrument designed to measure global self-worth and self-esteem. Developed by Morris Rosenberg in 1965, this scale remains the most widely cited measure in social science and clinical research. It utilizes a four-point Likert Scale format, making it an excellent, efficient tool for assessing an individual’s overall positive or negative attitude toward the self, particularly among youth and adolescents.

This 10-item scale is recognized as the most widely used measure of self-esteem globally and is highly effective for assessing young people’s enduring feelings of self-worth in research and evaluation contexts.

Keywords

Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, Personal Attitudes and Beliefs, Self-Worth, Global Self-Esteem, Psychometric Scale, Adolescents, Social Psychology.

Authors

Morris Rosenberg.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the RSES is to provide a brief, reliable, and valid assessment of an individual’s overall, stable sense of self-acceptance and self-respect. It is specifically utilized for measuring young people’s feelings of self-worth in research settings related to developmental psychology, mental health outcomes, and intervention evaluations, such as those focusing on violence prevention.

This instrument seeks to capture a fundamental, dispositional attitude about oneself, rather than temporary emotional states. Its brevity and ease of administration make it highly valuable for large-scale surveys and clinical screenings where efficiency and robust measurement are required.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of Global Self-Esteem. This construct refers to an individual’s fundamental evaluation of their own worth as a person. It is conceptualized as a relatively stable trait reflecting the extent to which a person judges themselves to be competent, significant, successful, and worthy.

The items are carefully balanced to include both positive and negative self-evaluations, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of the core belief structure regarding one’s value relative to others. The tool specifically touches upon concepts related to Self-Esteem/Efficacy and Personal Attitudes and Beliefs.

Validity

While the original source documentation is concise, the RSES is renowned for its robust validity across diverse populations. Extensive research has consistently demonstrated strong construct validity, showing appropriate correlations with related psychological constructs such as depression, anxiety, and general life satisfaction, confirming that it measures the intended concept.

Furthermore, the scale exhibits good concurrent validity, aligning well with other measures of self-worth. Its widespread adoption in cross-cultural studies also supports its generalizability and factorial validity, often confirming a single-factor structure representing global self-esteem.

Reliability

The RSES is consistently reported to have high internal consistency, typically yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.70 to 0.90, indicating that the items reliably measure the same underlying construct. This high degree of internal consistency is a major factor in its continued use across academic disciplines.

The scale also demonstrates strong test-retest reliability over short intervals, confirming the stability of the global self-esteem construct it is intended to measure. This stability is crucial when the instrument is used to track changes over time or evaluate the long-term effects of interventions.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis typically supports a unidimensional structure for the RSES, confirming that all 10 items load onto a single factor representing global self-esteem. However, due to the inclusion of both positively and negatively worded items, some analyses have occasionally identified two correlated factors (Positive Self-Esteem and Negative Self-Esteem).

In practice, researchers generally treat the RSES as a single-factor measure, summing all items (after appropriate reverse coding of negatively phrased items) to yield a single total score reflecting the participant’s overall level of self-worth.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Scale.

Format: Pencil and paper self-report using a four-point scale (Strongly agree to Strongly disagree).

Language Available: English (Widely translated into numerous languages globally).

Population Group: General population, widely validated for use with non-clinical and clinical samples.

Age Group: Adolescents and adults (generally recommended for age 12 and up).

Population Details: Primarily utilized in research involving adolescents and young people, particularly in studies concerning social attitudes, mental health, and violence prevention.

Test Methodology: Responses are scored on a four-point scale. Items 3, 5, 8, 9, and 10 are reverse coded so that a higher point value always corresponds to higher self-esteem. The point values of the responses from a participant should be summed to calculate the total score. A high score indicates a high level of self-esteem; a low score indicates a low level of self-esteem.

Keywords

Self-Esteem, Rosenberg Scale, Global Self-Worth, Psychometric Assessment, Youth Evaluation, Reverse Coding, Social Science Research.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Original author Morris Rosenberg predates ORCID system).

Affiliation Email addresses: Contact via the managing foundation.

Correspondence Address: The Morris Rosenberg Foundation, C/O Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, 2112 Art/Soc Building, College Park, MD 20742-1315.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is generally considered to be in the public domain and is often used without charge for academic research purposes. Formal permission should be sought from the Morris Rosenberg Foundation for commercial use or substantial modification. The scale was originally published in 1965.

This specific instrument version is documented on page 147 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools, indicating its use in public health and youth evaluation programs.

Reference’s

The original PDF source for this instrument is cited in Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools, available online. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf.

Additional documentation for the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale can be found in CSAP’s Core Measures document on pages 67-68. A document containing the scale items is also available here: Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale.doc.

Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Items of the Modified Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Inventory (a)

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

1. I feel that I am a person of worth‚ at least on an equal basis with others.
2. I feel that I have a number of good qualities.
3. I really feel that I am a failure.
4. I am able to do things as well as most other people.
5. I do not have much to be proud of.
6. I take a positive attitude toward myself
7. On the whole‚ I am satisfied with myself.
8. I wish I could have more respect for myself.
9. I certainly feel useless at times.
10. At times I think I am no good at all.