The College Self-Expression Scale

Abstract

The College Self-Expression Scale (CSES) is a 50-item, self-report psychological scale designed to measure the degree of assertiveness exhibited by college students in various social and academic settings. Developed by Galassi and colleagues in 1974, the CSES assesses an individual’s ability to appropriately express both positive and negative feelings, stand up for personal rights, and manage challenging interpersonal situations typical of the university environment. The scale is widely used in counseling centers and behavior therapy programs to diagnose deficits in assertiveness and evaluate the effectiveness of assertiveness training interventions.

Keywords

Assertiveness, Self-expression, College students, Social skills, Behavioral assessment, Psychometrics, Non-assertiveness, Training.

Authors

Galassi, J. P., DeLo, J. S., Galassi, M. D., and Bastien, S.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the College Self-Expression Scale is to provide a standardized, psychometrically sound instrument for assessing the frequency and appropriateness of assertive behaviors among college students. It differentiates between individuals who successfully express their feelings and needs and those who exhibit patterns of self-denial or aggressive behavior, focusing on situational contexts common to the college experience (e.g., interactions with peers, roommates, professors, and parents).

The scale is highly valuable for clinical applications, particularly in identifying specific domains of difficulty that can be targeted during behavior therapy sessions or assertiveness workshops. By quantifying self-expression across various dimensions, the CSES allows practitioners to tailor interventions to improve social competence and reduce anxiety associated with interpersonal conflict.

Construct

The CSES measures the construct of Assertiveness, which is defined here as the appropriate expression of feelings, needs, and rights without undue anxiety and without violating the rights of others. This concept is operationalized through three hypothesized factors, reflecting the nuanced nature of social interaction:

• Positive Assertiveness: The ability to express positive feelings such as love, affection, praise, and appreciation.
• Negative Assertiveness: The ability to express negative feelings such as annoyance, disagreement, and resentment, or to stand up for one’s rights (e.g., refusing unreasonable requests, complaining about poor service).
• Self-Denial (Non-Assertiveness): Behaviors characterized by avoidance, excessive apology, or failure to express one’s preferences or rights, often due to fear of social disapproval or conflict.

Validity

Initial studies of the CSES established strong evidence for its construct and concurrent validity. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between total CSES scores and scores on other established measures of assertiveness available at the time of its development. Furthermore, the scale showed expected differences in scores between groups known to differ in assertive behaviors (e.g., those participating in assertiveness training versus control groups).

Items were carefully selected to ensure high content validity, covering a wide range of relevant social and academic situations faced by the target population of college students. Empirical research generally supports the scale’s ability to predict actual assertive behavior in specific role-playing or behavioral assessment tasks, lending support to its predictive validity.

Reliability

The College Self-Expression Scale exhibits high levels of internal consistency, which is typical for well-developed psychological scales. Studies often report Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the total scale score exceeding .85, indicating that the 50 items consistently measure the same underlying construct of assertiveness.

Test-retest reliability has also been demonstrated through multiple studies, showing stability of scores over short intervals (e.g., two to four weeks). This suggests that the CSES measures a relatively stable behavioral pattern in young adults, making it suitable for pre- and post-intervention evaluations in behavior therapy settings.

Factor Analysis

While designed as a measure of overall assertiveness, factor analysis of the CSES generally supports a multi-dimensional structure, aligning with the conceptualization of assertiveness as encompassing distinct behavioral domains. The scale is typically found to load onto three primary factors: positive assertiveness, negative assertiveness, and non-assertiveness/self-denial.

The identification of these three factors allows for a more detailed interpretation of an individual’s profile, distinguishing between, for example, a person who finds it easy to express positive feelings but struggles with conflict (negative assertiveness deficits) versus a person who avoids expressing feelings entirely (high self-denial). This empirical structure enhances the scale’s utility in targeted intervention planning.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychological scale

Format: 50 Likert-style items describing specific interpersonal situations.

Language Available: Primarily English (Original development).

Population Group: Non-clinical and clinical populations of college students.

Age Group: Late adolescence and young adulthood (typically 18–25 years).

Population Details: Specifically normed and designed for individuals enrolled in higher education settings, addressing situations relevant to college life.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the likelihood of performing the described assertive behavior using a 5-point frequency scale:

• 0 = Almost always or always
• 1 = Usually
• 2 = Sometimes
• 3 = Seldom
• 4 = Never or rarely

Scores are calculated by summing the item responses. Items 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 35, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, and 49 are reverse scored. Higher total scores indicate greater levels of assertiveness or self-expression.

Keywords

Assertiveness training, Social anxiety, Interpersonal communication, Behavior modification, Assessment tool, Self-report measure, College environment.

Authors

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

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

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The College Self-Expression Scale was first published in 1974. As an academic instrument, permissions for use are typically governed by standard academic research ethics, often requiring citation of the original article. Commercial use or modification may require contact with the primary author or publisher of the journal Behavior Therapy. Fee structures are generally low or non-existent for non-commercial academic research.

Reference’s

• Galassi. J. P, DeLo. J.S, Galassi. M.D, and Bastien. S. (1974). “The College Self-Expression Scale: A Measure of Assertiveness,” Behavior Therapy, 5, 165-171.
• Dawley, H.H., Jr. & Wenrich, W.W. (1976). Achieving assertive behavior: A guide to assertive training. Pacific Grove, CA: Brroks/Cole.
• Weiten, W. & Lloyd, M.A. (2000). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment at the turn of the century (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
• Weiten, W., Lloyd, M.A, & Lashley, R.L. (1991). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 90s (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Items of the The College Self-Expression Scale

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

• 1. Do you ignore it when someone pushes in front of you in line?
• 2. When you decide that you no longer wish to date someone, do you have marked difficulty telling that person of you decision?
• 3. Would you exchange a purchase you discover to be faulty?
• 4. If you decide to change your major to a field which you parents will not approve, would you have difficulty telling them?
• 5. Are you inclined to be over apologetic?
• 6. If you were studying and if your roommate were making too much noise, would you ask him or her to stop?
• 7. Is it difficult for you to compliment and praise others?
• 8. If you are angry at your parents, can you tell them?
• 9. Do you insist that your roommate do his or her fair share of cleaning?
• 10. If you find yourself becoming fond of someone you are dating, would you have difficulty expressing these feeling to that person?
• 11. If a friend who has borrowed $5.00 from you seems to have forgotten about it, would you remind this person?
• 12. Are you overly careful to avoid hurting other people’s feelings?
• 13. If you have a close friend whom your parents dislike and constantly criticize, would you inform you parents that you disagree with them and tell them of your friend’s assets?
• 14. Do you find it difficult to ask a friend to do a favor for you?
• 15. If food that is not to your satisfaction is served in a restaurant, would you complain about it to the waiter?
• 16. If your roommate without your permission eats food that he or she knows you have been saving, can you express your displeasure to you roommate?
• 17. If a salesperson has gone to considerable trouble to show you some merchandise which is not quite suitable, do you have difficulty saying no?
• 18. Do you keep your opinion to yourself?
• 19. If friends visit when you want to study, do you ask them to return at a more convenient time?
• 20. Are you able to express love and affection to people for whom you care?
• 21. If you were in a small seminar and the professor made a statement that you considered untrue, would you question it?
• 22. If a person of the opposite sex whom you have been wanting to meet smiles of directs attention to you at a party, would you take the initiatives in beginning a conversation?
• 23. If someone you respect expresses opinions with which you strongly disagree, would you venture to sate you won point of view?
• 24. Do you go out of you way to avoid trouble with other people?
• 25. If a friend is wearing a new outfit that you like, do you tell that person so?
• 26. If after leaving a story you realize that you have been “shortchanged,” do you go back and request the correct amount?
• 27. If a friend makes what you consider to be an unreasonable request, are you able to refuse?
• 28. If a close and respected relative were annoying you, would you hide your feelings rather than express you annoyance?
• 29. If your parents want you to come home for a weekend buy you have made important plans, would you tell them of your preference?
• 30. Do you express anger or annoyance toward the opposite sex when it is justified?
• 31. If a friend does and errand for you, do you tell that person how much you appreciate it?
• 32. When a person is blatantly unfair, do you fail to say something about it to the person?
• 33. Do you avoid social contacts for fear of doing or saying the wrong thing?
• 34. If a friend betrays your confidence, would you hesitate to express annoyance to that person?
• 35. When a clerk in a store waits on someone who has come in after you, do you call the clerk’s attention to the matter?
• 36. If you are particularly happy about someone’s good fortune, can you express this to that person?
• 37. Would you be hesitant about asking a good friend to lend you a few dollars?
• 38. If a person teases you to the point that it is no longer fun, do you have difficulty expressing you displeasure?
• 39. If you arrive late for a meeting, would you rather stand than go to a front seat which could only be secured with fair degree of conspicuousness?
• 40. If your date calls on Saturday night 15 minutes before you are supposed to meet and says that she or he has to study for an important exam and cannot make it, would you express your annoyance?
• 41. If someone keeps kicking the back of your chair in a movie, would you ask the person to stop?
• 42. If someone interrupts you in the middle of an important conversation, do you request that the person wait until you have finished?
• 43. Do you freely volunteer information or opinions in class discussions?
• 44. Are you reluctant to speak to an attractive acquaintance of the opposite sex?
• 45. If you lived in an apartment and the landlord failed to make necessary repairs after promising to do so, would you insist on it?
• 46. If your parents want you home by a certain time which you feel is much too early and unreasonable, do you attempt to discuss or negotiate this with them?
• 47. Do you find it difficult to stand up for your rights?
• 48. If a friend unjustifiably criticizes you, do you express your resentment there and then?
• 49. Do you express you feeling to others?
• 50. Do you avoid asking questions in class for fear of feeling self-conscious?