Self-Understanding Rating Scale (SUPI)

Abstract

The Self-Understanding Rating Scale (SUPI), also referenced in its revised form as the SUPI-R, is a psychological scale designed to assess an individual’s level of self-understanding regarding their recurrent, often problematic, interpersonal patterns. It provides a quantitative measure of the depth of insight a person has achieved, ranging from mere recognition of a behavior to a full causal attribution linking the behavior to past relationship experiences and accepting personal responsibility for its perpetuation. This scale is primarily used in clinical and research settings to measure change and progress in insight-oriented psychotherapy.

Keywords

Self-Understanding, Interpersonal Patterns, Relational Dynamics, Insight, Psychological Assessment, Psychotherapy Outcome, SUPI, SUPI-R, Relational Schemas.

Authors

Connolly, M.B., Crits-Christoph, P., Kurtz, J., Butler, S. F., Shelton, R. C., Hollon, S., Barber, J. P., Baker, S., Thase, M. E.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the SUPI is to provide a standardized, quantitative measure of a client’s growth in self-understanding during psychological treatment. It specifically tracks the therapeutic process of moving from vague awareness of relational difficulties to clear cognitive and emotional insight into their origins and maintenance. This measurement is critical for researchers studying the efficacy of interventions focused on insight and relational change.

The scale allows clinicians and researchers to map the continuum of self-awareness concerning specific maladaptive interpersonal patterns. By scoring both the identification of the pattern and the depth of insight regarding its source and current maintenance, the SUPI serves as a valuable outcome measure in studies concerning psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapies.

Construct

The central construct measured by the SUPI is the depth of insight into one’s characteristic ways of relating to others. This construct, defined as the “Self-Understanding of Interpersonal Patterns,” is operationalized through a hierarchical system of response options that reflect increasing levels of cognitive and emotional awareness.

The scale assesses how individuals process and attribute their recurrent relational difficulties, focusing on 19 (original) or 28 (revised) specific patterns. These patterns encompass core relational themes, such as dependency, need for control, fear of abandonment, and conflict avoidance. The measurement continuum evaluates whether the individual recognizes the pattern, sees it as generalized across multiple relationships, links it to past experiences, and acknowledges their own role in perpetuating the pattern in the present.

Validity

The validity of the Self-Understanding Rating Scale was established in the seminal paper by Connolly et al. (1999), which focused on its psychometric properties. Construct validity was assessed by examining the scale’s relationship with established measures of therapeutic insight and general distress. The scale is expected to demonstrate convergent validity with other measures of self-awareness and divergent validity from general symptom checklists.

The core finding supporting its validity is the scale’s ability to predict positive therapeutic outcomes, suggesting that the scores reflect genuine, clinically meaningful growth in self-understanding rather than just symptom reduction. The revised scale (SUPI-R) further seeks to enhance the precision of this measurement, ensuring that the defined stages of insight accurately capture the progression observed in clinical practice.

Reliability

The reliability of the SUPI was rigorously examined by the authors to ensure consistent and stable measurement. The original study (Connolly et al., 1999) reported on the scale’s internal consistency, typically using Cronbach’s Alpha, to confirm that the various items measuring insight across different interpersonal patterns cohere as a unified construct.

Additionally, test-retest reliability measures were likely employed to assess the stability of the insight scores over time, particularly outside of intensive therapeutic intervention periods. High reliability metrics are essential for demonstrating that changes observed in SUPI scores truly reflect shifts in the individual’s level of awareness and not measurement error.

Factor Analysis

While the specific factor analysis results are detailed in the original 1999 publication, the scale is implicitly structured to reflect a continuum of insight rather than distinct clinical factors. However, factor analytic techniques would have been used to confirm that the 19 or 28 distinct interpersonal patterns themselves cluster into meaningful, underlying dimensions (e.g., patterns related to autonomy versus dependence).

Researchers interested in the dimensional structure of the maladaptive patterns themselves, separate from the insight rating, must consult the full article from the Journal of Counseling Psychology to understand the established factor groupings and subscale scores derived from the initial validation study.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire / Psychological Assessment Scale

Format: The scale uses a combination of categorical response options (a-g in SUPI-R) to rate depth of insight, paired with a 10-point numerical rating scale to assess the perceived importance of the experience in current relationships.

Language Available: English (Primary publication language)

Population Group: Clinical and Non-Clinical Adults

Age Group: Adults (typically 18 years and older)

Population Details: Developed and validated primarily using adult populations, especially those seeking treatment for relational difficulties, depression, or personality issues where insight into recurrent relationship patterns is a key therapeutic goal.

Test Methodology: Respondents first read an interpersonal pattern statement (e.g., “I feel the need to keep someone close…”). They then choose the response option (a-g) that best reflects their current level of understanding regarding this behavior in their life. Finally, they rate the importance of that specific pattern on a 1 (not important) to 10 (very important) scale.

Keywords

Relational Schemas, Psychodynamic Therapy, Insight-Oriented Therapy, Self-Awareness, Attachment, Maladaptive Behavior, Counseling Psychology, Psychological Scale.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material. Researchers should consult academic databases for current ORCID identifiers of the authors.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material. Contact information would typically be available via the corresponding author listed in the original 1999 publication.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material. Correspondence for this instrument should be directed to the lead author, M.B. Connolly, or the publisher of the Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1999 (Year of primary publication and validation)

Permissions & Fee: The Self-Understanding Rating Scale (SUPI) items are published in an academic journal. Use for non-commercial research or clinical practice usually requires proper citation. For commercial applications or adaptations, explicit permission from the authors or the American Psychological Association (publisher of the Journal of Counseling Psychology) may be required.

The original PDF detailing the instrument and its psychometric properties is available online. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://faculty.vet.upenn.edu/cpr/documents/connolly1999.pdf

Reference’s

Connolly, M.B., Crits-Christoph, P., Kurtz, J., Butler, S. F., Shelton, R. C., Hollon, S., Barber, J. P., Baker, S. and Thase, M. E. (1999). The Reliability and Validity of a Measure of Self-Understanding of Interpersonal Patterns. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46 (4), 472-482.

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Items of the Self-Understanding Rating Scale (SUPI)

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

a) I recognize that I feel and act this way with a significant person in my life‚ but I don’t know why.

b) I can see that this experience has become a pattern with multiple people in my life‚ but I don’t know why.

c) I’m beginning to see a link between these experiences and past relationship experiences‚ but the connection is not yet clear.

d) I can clearly see that I feel and act this way because of past relationship experiences.

Interpersonal Patterns

1. I feel the need to “save” others when I see them ha‎ving a tough time and therefore try to solve their problems for them.
2. I feel the need to guide others when I see them about to make a mistake and wind up telling them what to do.
3. I feel the need to please others and let them push me to do something I don’t want to do.
4. I need someone to truly understand me‚ and feel hurt when he/she cannot relate to my feelings.
5. I feel the need to keep someone close‚ and do whatever is necessary to keep him/her with me even when they need to leave me.
6. I feel the need to change someone‚ and wind up helping him/her to think more like me even when he/she has beliefs or values different from mine.
7. I feel the need to be understood by others‚ and get defensive or angry when others are not able to see things like I see them.
8. I feel the need to be close to someone and have difficulty letting them have the space they need.
9. I am very dependent on others for approval‚ and feel hurt when they reject me.
10. I need to be trusted by someone‚ and feel rejected when they do not trust me.
11. I need to trust someone‚ yet I distance myself from that person when they act in a dishonest way.
12. I feel the need to be accepted by someone‚ and feel bad about myself when he/she doesn’t like me.
13. I need someone to take care of me‚ and I feel abandoned when he/she is not helpful.
14. I need someone to be reliable‚ and I feel disappointed when he/she lets me down.
15. I need to feel accepted by others‚ and I feel bad when they oppose what I want to do.
16. I need to feel free of responsibility‚ and I distance myself from someone I care about because they are too dependent on me.
17. I need to be respected by someone‚ and I feel hurt when he/she does not approve of me.
18. I want to accept someone else‚ but I am forced to distance myself when they do not live up to my expectations.
19. I feel the need to avoid conflict‚ and keep quiet even when someone else mistreats me.

Self-Understanding Rating Scale (SUPI-R)

• a) I do not feel and act this way in my current relationships.
• b) I feel and act this way with at least one person in my life.
• c) I feel and act this way with multiple people in my life.
• d) I feel and act this way with multiple people because of my past relationship experiences.
• e) I am in part responsible for continuing to feel and act this way with multiple people (ie. I go into situations expecting to feel and act this way or I chose to put myself into these kinds of situations).
• f) I recognize that I am feeling and acting this way in the moment it is happening or shortly thereafter.
• g) When I recognize that I am feeling and acting this way I am able to consider other ways of viewing the situation in the moment.

H. How important is this experience in your current relationships?

1—–2—–3—–4—–5—–6—–7—–8—–9—–10 (1= not important‚ 2= somewhat important‚ 3= very important)

1. I feel the need to “save” others when I see them ha‎ving a tough time and therefore try to solve their problems for them:
2. I feel the need to guide others when I see them about to make a mistake and wind up telling them what to do:
3. I need someone to truly understand me‚ and feel hurt when he/she cannot relate to my feelings:
4. I feel the need to keep someone close‚ and do whatever is necessary to keep him/her with me even when they need to leave me:
5. I feel the need to change someone‚ and wind up helping him/her to think more like me even when he/she has beliefs or values different from mine:
6. I feel the need to be understood by others‚ and get defensive or angry when others are not able to see things like I see them:
7. I feel the need to be close to someone and have difficulty letting them have the space they need:
8. I need to be trusted by someone‚ and feel rejected when they do not trust me:
9. I need to trust someone‚ yet I distance myself from that person when they act in a dishonest way:
10. I feel the need to be accepted by someone‚ and feel bad about myself when he/she doesn’t like me:
11. I need someone to take care of me‚ and I feel abandoned when he/she is not helpful:
12. I need someone to be reliable‚ and I feel disappointed when he/she lets me down:
13. I need to feel free of responsibility‚ and I distance myself from someone I care about because they are too dependent on me:
14. I need to be respected by someone‚ and I feel hurt when he/she does not approve of me:
15. I want to accept someone else‚ but I am forced to distance myself when they do not live up to my expectations:
16. I would like to feel free to do my own thing‚ so I separate myself completely from another when I feel he/she is trying to butt in and take over:
17. I want someone to look after me and I feel angry when he/she doesn’t notice me or pay any attention to me:
18. I want to be able to count on someone else‚ but when he/she neglects my needs I shut myself off from him/her and feel sad:
19. I want another person to accept me as I am‚ but I bottle up my feelings and do whatever the other wants when I feel like he/she is putting me down:
20. I want to be close to someone‚ so I try to do things the other person’s way in order to please him/her when I see that the other person is too busy with his/her own thing to notice me:
21. I want to stay and take care of another person‚ but I go my own separate way when he/she tries to tell me what to do:
22. I need for someone to take care of me‚ so when I see him/her abandoning me I feel angry but try to do whatever he/she wants:
23. I want someone to pay close attention to me‚ but I shut myself off from him/her and feel angry when he/she puts me down:
24. I want another to go his/her separate way‚ but he/she checks in with me about every little thing just because I have a clear opinion about things:
25. I want to be able to tell someone my innermost thoughts‚ but I close myself off from him/her when he/she neglects my needs:
26. I want someone to feel free to express to me the way he/she feels‚ but he/she just goes along with what I want when I clearly state my own opinion:
27. I want someone to invite me to be close to him/her‚ but I close myself off when I see that the other person is unaware of my needs:
28. I want to leave someone free to be whatever he/she thinks is best‚ but in order to make sure that things turn out right I wind up telling him/her exactly what to do even when he/she resists me: