Strive to Avoid Inferiority Scales

Abstract

The Strive to Avoid Inferiority Scale (SAIS), developed by Gilbert et al. (2007), is a comprehensive psychological instrument designed to assess individual differences in beliefs and motivations related to social comparison and the drive to compete. The scale is divided into two main parts. Part One, a 31-item measure, assesses two distinct psychological constructs: Insecure Striving, which captures the belief that success and competition are necessary to avoid inferiority and gain social worth; and Secure Non-Striving, which measures feelings of unconditional acceptance regardless of competitive outcomes. Part Two investigates the underlying reasons why individuals feel compelled to compete, hypothesizing three primary fears: Losing Out, Being Overlooked (passive exclusion), and Active Rejection (shame and criticism).

Keywords

Inferiority avoidance, social competition, insecure striving, secure non-striving, passive exclusion, active rejection, depression, anxiety, stress, scale development.

Authors

Gilbert, P., Broomhead, C., Irons, C., McEwan, K., Bellew, R., Mills, A., Gale, C., Knibb, R.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SAIS is to quantify the degree to which an individual’s motivation to achieve and compete is driven by the fear of social devaluation or inferiority. It moves beyond general achievement motivation by focusing specifically on the defensive, socially-rooted reasons for striving. The scale was developed to help researchers and clinicians understand how feelings of competitive pressure relate to various forms of psychological distress, such as depression and anxiety.

Specifically, Part One aims to differentiate between individuals whose sense of self-worth is contingent upon competitive success (insecure striving) versus those who feel accepted regardless of performance (secure non-striving). Part Two provides nuanced insight into the motivational fears underlying insecure striving, such as the fear of missing opportunities or the threat of social exclusion and rejection.

Construct

The SAIS operationalizes key aspects of social mentality theory, particularly the relationship between competitive motivation and social status concerns. The instrument is structured around five distinct constructs grouped into two parts:

• Insecure Striving (Part 1): This construct reflects a belief system where life is viewed as a constant competition (the ‘Rat Race’), and personal value is conditional upon outperforming others or succeeding to avoid being judged as inferior. High scores indicate high sensitivity to social comparison and external validation.
• Secure Non-Striving (Part 1): This construct reflects a belief system rooted in unconditional self-acceptance and the expectation of acceptance from others, irrespective of success or failure. It suggests low pressure to constantly prove one’s worth through competition.

Part Two measures the perceived negative consequences of failing to compete, which serve as the motivational drivers for insecure striving:

1. Losing Out: Fear of tangible loss, such as not advancing in life, missing opportunities, or falling behind others.
2. Overlooked (Passive Exclusion): Fear of being ignored, forgotten, or not being taken much interest in by others.
3. Active Rejection: Fear of direct social punishment, including being criticized, shamed, actively excluded, and pushed away by the social group.

Validity

While the source content does not explicitly detail various forms of psychometric validity, the original research article by Gilbert et al. (2007) established the scale’s utility by demonstrating strong concurrent correlations between the SAIS subscales and measures of psychological distress. The Insecure Striving subscale and the three rejection fears (Losing Out, Overlooked, Active Rejection) were found to significantly predict higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, confirming the relevance of inferiority avoidance to psychopathology.

The conceptual framework aligns the SAIS with evolutionary and social rank theories, suggesting theoretical validity, as the measured fear of social inferiority and rejection is hypothesised to underpin certain forms of mental health difficulties.

Reliability

The SAIS has demonstrated good to acceptable internal consistency across its subscales, as reported by Gilbert et al. (2007). The reliability estimates, calculated using Cronbach’s alpha, indicate that the items within each subscale consistently measure the intended underlying construct.

• Insecure Striving (Part 1): .84
• Secure Non-Striving (Part 1): .69
• Losing Out (Part 2): .84
• Overlooked (Part 2): .80
• Active Rejection (Part 2): .79

Factor Analysis

The clear structural organization of the SAIS into distinct subscales implies that factor analytic methods were employed during its development to confirm its multidimensional nature. Part One separates general competitive beliefs into Insecure Striving and Secure Non-Striving factors, reflecting different orientations toward social evaluation.

Furthermore, Part Two is structured around three distinct factors of competitive pressure (Losing Out, Overlooked, and Active Rejection). This factor structure supports the theoretical premise that the motivation to avoid inferiority is not monolithic but rather driven by specific, identifiable fears of negative social outcomes, ranging from passive neglect to outright shaming and exclusion.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: Multi-part scale using varying Likert scale formats. Part 1 uses a 5-point scale (0=NEVER to 4=ALWAYS). Part 2 uses a 10-point agreement scale (1=Don’t agree to 10=Completely Agree).

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: General and Clinical Populations

Age Group: Adults (typically 18+)

Population Details: Developed and validated primarily on adult samples, including university students, to study the relationship between competitive motivation and emotional well-being.

Test Methodology: Participants are instructed to rate statements describing their thoughts and feelings regarding the need to strive and compete in life. Scoring requires summing items for specific subscales. Scoring for Part 1 involves 19 items for Insecure Striving and 12 items for Secure Non-Striving (some of which are reverse-scored, although not explicitly indicated in the provided scoring key, it is standard practice for acceptance items).

Keywords

Competitive motivation, self-worth contingency, social threat, psychometric scale, Gilbert, rejection sensitivity, shame, achievement motivation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material (N/A)

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material (N/A)

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material (N/A)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially published in 2007. The copyright is held by Gilbert et al. (2007). Researchers or practitioners wishing to utilize the SAIS should seek permission from the primary author, Paul Gilbert, or the publishing body, the British Journal of Social Psychology, to ensure ethical and appropriate use.

Reference’s

Gilbert, P., Broomhead, C., Irons, C., McEwan, K., Bellew, R., Mills, A., Gale, C. & Knibb, R. (2007). Striving to avoid inferiority: Scale development and its relationship to depression, anxiety and stress. British Journal of Social Psychology, 46, 633-648.

Items of the STRIVE TO AVOID INFERIORITY SCALES

PART 1

Sometimes people can see life as something of a competition. For example‚ we often call it the ‘Rat Race’. People can vary in how pressured they feel to strive and compete for things that are important to them. Below are a series of statements‚ which describe how people may think and feel about the need to strive and compete in life. Please circle a number to the right of the statements which best describes the degree to which a statement is true for you.

Please use the following scale:

0= NEVER 1 = RARELY 2 = SOMETIMES 3 = MOSTLY 4 = ALWAYS

1. To be valued by others I have to strive to succeed
2. If I make mistakes‚ I know other people will still like me
3. Life is a competition
4. People don’t have to succeed to prove themselves to others
5. People judge you by how well you perform in comparison to other
6. Win or lose‚ people accept me anyway
7. I never feel my place in society is secure but have to strive to prove myself worthy of it
8. Others will accept me even if I fail
9. I need to match what other people achieve
10. People are accepting of me without comparing me to others
11. If I don’t strive to succeed‚ I’ll be left behind everyone else
12. Whether I succeed or fail‚ people value me as a person
13. People compare me to others to see if I match up
14. 14 I worry about failure because it means you can’t keep up and compete with other people in life
15. I struggle to achieve things so that other people will not look down on me
16. If I fail at something‚ I know others will help me try again
17. Acceptance is something you have to earn and compete with other
18. To get on in the world‚ you have to compete with others
19. If you don’t keep up in looks or achievements others won’t bother with you
20. If I don’t strive to achieve I’ll be seen as inferior to other people
21. I don’t feel under pressure to prove myself to others
22. People who can’t compete are seen as weak
23. Even if I do succeed others will not believe it’s enough
24. People accept me whether I’m successful or not
25. Being competitive gives me a right to life
26. I don’t have to be the best in life to feel wanted
27. Others have to see me succeed otherwise it’s worthless
28. I don’t have to prove myself to feel part of a group
29. You are loved for what you are‚ not for what you achieve
30. You earn respect by out-performing others
31. Unless you can compete and keep up you get left behind

PART 2

We are interested in the reasons people feel under pressure to compete. Below are a series of questions which tap this‚ each beginning with ‘If you don’t compete with others and succeed ….. ‘. Please circle the number which best describes how much you agree or disagree with each statement.

1. LOSING OUT

If you don’t compete with others and succeed …
You will not advance in life
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
You will miss out on opportunities
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
You will fall behind others
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree

2. OVERLOOKED

If you don’t compete with others and succeed …
People will overlook you
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
People will not take much interest in you
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
People will pass you over
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
People will forget about you
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree

3. ACTIVE REJECTION

‚1 If you don’t compete with others and succeed …
Others will actively reject you
People will not take much interest in you
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
Others will push you away
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
Others will be critical and shame you
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree
Others will go out of their way to actively exclude you
Don’t agree	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	completely Agree