Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS)

Abstract

The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) is a widely utilized self-report instrument designed to provide a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of an individual’s self-concept. Originally developed by William H. Fitts in 1965, the current version, the TSCS-2 (revised in 1996), consists of 100 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The scale measures 15 distinct dimensions across various domains, including physical, social, moral-ethical, and academic self-concept. The TSCS-2 is a reliable and valid tool employed extensively in clinical, educational, and research settings to evaluate self-perception in children, adolescents, and adults.

Keywords

Self-concept, TSCS, TSCS-2, William H. Fitts, Psychological assessment, Self-report, Multidimensional measure, Self-esteem, Personality.

Authors

William H. Fitts

Purpose

The primary purpose of the TSCS-2 is to provide a detailed, quantitative evaluation of an individual’s self-perception, serving as a foundational tool in psychological assessment. By breaking down the self into 15 specific dimensions, the scale allows practitioners to move beyond a simple global score and identify specific areas of strength and weakness in a person’s self-view.

The scale is valuable across multiple applied settings. In clinical environments, it helps assess self-concept in individuals seeking mental health treatment, often preceding or accompanying other diagnostic procedures. In educational settings, it is used to assess students’ self-concept and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving self-esteem or academic achievement. Furthermore, it is a robust research tool for examining the relationship between self-concept and other critical variables such as personality development and mental health outcomes.

Construct

The TSCS-2 is designed to measure the psychological construct of self-concept, which encompasses the totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings regarding themselves as an object. This construct is viewed not as a single entity but as a complex, multidimensional framework, organized around both internal frames of reference and external behavioral manifestations.

The scale operationalizes this construct through 15 distinct scores. These scores are typically grouped into internal dimensions (e.g., identity, self-satisfaction, behavior) and external content areas. The content areas assessed by the TSCS-2 include:

• Physical self-concept
• Social self-concept
• Emotional self-concept
• Academic self-concept
• Family self-concept
• Moral-ethical self-concept
• Religious self-concept
• Personal self-concept
• Vocational self-concept
• Interpersonal self-concept
• General self-concept

Validity

The TSCS-2 has demonstrated substantial evidence supporting its validity as a measure of self-concept. Its content validity is supported by the comprehensive nature of its 100 items, which cover diverse facets of self-perception across various developmental and situational contexts. This thorough coverage ensures that the scale accurately represents the theoretical domain of the self-concept construct.

Construct and criterion validity have been established through numerous research studies. The scale consistently shows expected correlations with measures of related constructs, such as personality traits and measures of psychological adjustment. Its ability to differentiate between groups (e.g., clinical versus non-clinical samples) and its utility in predicting behaviors, such as academic success and adjustment to stress, further attest to its robust psychometric properties.

Reliability

The TSCS-2 is recognized for its high psychometric reliability. The internal consistency of the overall Total Self-Concept score, as well as the scores for the various subscales, is consistently reported to be strong, often utilizing coefficient alpha measures. High internal consistency indicates that the items within each dimension measure the same underlying trait cohesively.

Furthermore, test-retest reliability studies confirm the stability of the scores over time, suggesting that the TSCS-2 provides a consistent measurement of the relatively stable construct of self-concept, rather than merely capturing transient emotional states. This stability is crucial for using the instrument to track meaningful change following intervention or developmental maturation.

Factor Analysis

The multi-dimensional scoring system of the TSCS-2 is a direct result of the factor analytic studies conducted during its development and revision. These analyses confirmed that self-concept is best understood through multiple, correlated factors rather than a single global score.

The factor structure organizes the 100 items into 15 specific subscales, allowing for differentiation between self-perceptions in distinct areas (e.g., Physical vs. Academic). This detailed breakdown enables clinicians and researchers to interpret profiles of self-concept, identifying specific areas where an individual may experience confidence or vulnerability, thereby guiding targeted intervention strategies.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure; Norm-referenced, Multidimensional Psychological Scale.

Format: 100 items. Responses are recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (completely false) to 5 (completely true). The scale takes approximately 10–20 minutes to complete.

Language Available: English (Primary); translations exist for various other languages for cross-cultural research.

Population Group: General, Clinical, and Educational populations.

Age Group: Children (7 years and older), Adolescents, and Adults (separate forms are available to accommodate different age groups).

Population Details: The TSCS-2 manual provides extensive normative data derived from diverse samples, allowing for comparison of individual scores against relevant age and demographic groups.

Test Methodology: Can be administered via paper-and-pencil or digitally. Scoring provides 15 specific content and dimensional scores, including measures of validity such as Self-Criticism and Total Conflict scores.

Keywords

TSCS, Fitts, Self-concept, Self-esteem, Psychological testing, Clinical assessment, Educational psychology, Multidimensional scaling, Likert scale.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The TSCS-2 is a proprietary instrument requiring purchase and licensing for use. It is typically distributed by major psychological publishers. The original scale was introduced by William H. Fitts in 1965, with the second edition (TSCS-2) published in 1996.

Reference’s

• Fitts, W. H. (1965). Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. Counselor Recordings and Tests.
• Fitts, W. H., & Warren, W. L. (1996). Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (TSCS-2) Manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
• European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 10‚ Number 3 (2009).

Items of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale TSCS

The Likert scale anchors for the items are:

• 1=always false‚
• 2=mostly false‚
• 3=partly‚ false and partly true‚
• 4=mostly true‚ and
• 5= always true

The following are examples of items used in the scale:

1 I have a healthy body

2 I like to appear neat and attractive

3 I am an attractive person

4 I am full of pain and suffering.

5 I am an untidy person.

6 I am not a healthy person.

7 I am not too fat and not too thin.

8 I am not too tall nor too short.

9 I like the way I am now.

10 I don’t feel as healthy as I should be.

11 I wish to change a few parts of my body.

12 I should have more sex appeal.

13 I take good care of my physical self.

14 I feel happy most of the time.

15 I am very careful about my self appearance.

16 I am not good in games and sport.

17 I often behave like a know-all person.

18 I have trouble sleeping.

19 I am a well-mannered person.

20 I am a pious person.

21 I am an honest person.

22 I don’t have a good moral.

23 I am a bad person.

24 I am a weak-will person.

25 I am very satisfied with my manners and behaviors.

26 I am as pious as I wish to be.

27 I am satisfied about my relationship with God.

28 I feel that I am not very trusted.

29 I rarely go to the mosque or place of worship.

30 I tell lies often.

31 Religion is my guide in everyday life.

32 I do what is right most of the time.

33 I will work on changing when I realize that I have made a mistake.

34 Sometimes I use unfair ways to move forward.

35 Sometimes I do bad things.

36 I have problems doing the right thing.

37 I am a cheerful person.

38 I have a high self-control.

39 I am a calm person and easy to befriended.

40 I am hated.

41 I am not important.

42 I can no longer think straight.

43 I am satisfied with myself now.

44 I am as intelligent as I wish to be.

45 I am a good person.

46 I am not the person I hope to become.

47 I hate myself.

48 I am someone who gives up easily.

49 In any situation‚ I can take care of myself.

50 I can solve my problems easily.

51 I am willing to admit my mistake without feeling angry.

52 I often change my mind.

53 I often act without thinking first.

54 I try to escape from facing problem.

55 I have a family that are always ready to help when I am in trouble.

56 I am important to my family and my friends.

57 I am from a happy family.

58 I am not loved by my family.

59 My friends are not confident of me.

60 I think my family do not put their trust in me.

61 I am satisfied with the relationships in my family.

62 I have treated my parents as I should have treated them.

63 I understand my family adequately.

64 I am very sensitive about what my family says.

65 I must increase my faith towards my family.

66 I should have loved my family more than I love others.

67 I try to be fair towards my family and friends.

68 I make sure that I do my part in the house.

69 I give full attention towards my family.

70 I often quarrel with my family.

71 I always give in to both my parents.

72 I do not act wisely as perceived by my family.

73 I am a friendly person.

74 I am more popular among females.

75 I am more popular among males.

76 I feel angry towards everybody.

77 I am not interested in what others are doing.

78 I find it difficult to develop closeness with others.

79 I can socialize in ways that I want.

80 I am satisfied with the way I treat other people.

81 I make an effort to win people’s heart‚ but I don’t overdo it.

82 I should have more manners with other people.

83 I am not good in socializing.

84 I am not satisfied with the way I mix with other people.

85 I try to understand other people’s view.

86 I have good regards towards everybody that I met.

87 I can be friend with everybody.

88 I don’t find it hard to talk with other people.

89 It is difficult for me to forgive other people.

90 I feel difficult to talk with somebody that I do not know.

91 I do not always speak the truth.

92 Sometimes I think of bad things to say.

93 I sometimes get angry.

94 Sometimes I become angry when I don’t feel well.

95 I don’t like everybody that I know.

96 Sometimes I do badmouth other people.

97 Sometimes I am entertained by obscene jokes.

98 Sometimes I feel like cursing.

99 I prefer to win rather than lose in a game.

100 Sometimes I will postpone works that I should be doing.