The Silencing the Self Scale

Abstract

The Silencing the Self Scale (STSS) is a widely used psychological instrument designed to measure an individual’s tendency to inhibit the expression of their own needs, thoughts, and feelings in intimate relationships. Developed by Dana Crowley Jack, the scale operationalizes the concept of “silencing the self,” which posits that sacrificing personal authenticity to maintain relational harmony can lead to significant psychological distress, particularly depression. High scores on the STSS indicate a greater propensity for self-sacrifice, fear of conflict, and externalized self-perception, all mechanisms associated with compromised selfhood within close connections.

Keywords

Silencing the Self, Dana Crowley Jack, Relational-Cultural Theory, Self-Sacrifice, Intimate Relationships, Depression, Psychological Scale, Self-Censorship, Psychological Testing

Authors

Dana Crowley Jack

Purpose

The primary purpose of the STSS is to provide a quantitative measure of the degree to which an individual engages in behaviors and thought patterns characteristic of self-silencing within the context of intimate relationships. This measurement is crucial for researchers studying the psychological consequences of gender roles, relational dynamics, and interdependence, particularly the link between relational subordination and emotional distress. Clinically, the scale assists practitioners in identifying cognitive and behavioral patterns that predispose individuals to relationship dissatisfaction and mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.

The scale was originally developed to empirically test theories related to women’s psychological development and the unique relational challenges faced when navigating the desire for connection versus the need for autonomous self-expression. It serves as a diagnostic and research tool for evaluating how self-inhibition impacts overall well-being and relational functioning.

Construct

The STSS measures the construct of Silencing the Self, which is derived from relational-cultural theory (RCT). This construct describes a pattern of behavior where the individual suppresses their authentic self (needs, opinions, feelings) out of fear of relational conflict, disapproval, or abandonment. The core belief driving this behavior is that maintaining the relationship requires prioritizing the partner’s needs over one’s own. This leads to a profound disconnection from the self and often results in internalized anger and emotional distress.

The construct typically comprises several interconnected dimensions, reflecting different aspects of self-inhibition:

• Fear of Conflict/Silencing: The active suppression of feelings or opinions to prevent disagreement.
• Caretaking/Self-Sacrifice: The belief that love or caring necessitates putting the partner’s needs before one’s own, often to a detrimental degree.
• Externalized Self-Perception: Defining one’s worth and identity based primarily on the perceived opinions and approval of others, especially the partner.
• Divided Self/Unmitigated Communion: A sense of losing one’s identity within the relationship and feeling inauthentic or unknown by the partner.

Validity

The STSS exhibits strong psychometric properties across numerous studies. Construct validity has been demonstrated through its consistent correlation with related psychological constructs. Specifically, high STSS scores correlate positively and significantly with measures of dependency, low self-esteem, unmitigated communion, and relationship distress. Conversely, high scores correlate negatively with measures of autonomy and secure attachment styles. The scale possesses excellent criterion validity, particularly in predicting depressive symptoms, with many studies showing that self-silencing is a robust predictor of major depressive disorder, especially among women.

Furthermore, cross-cultural studies have supported the validity of the underlying construct, although specific factor structures may vary slightly. The scale’s ability to differentiate between clinical populations experiencing relational distress and non-clinical populations further supports its clinical utility and validity.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Silencing the Self Scale is consistently reported as high, indicating that the items reliably measure the same underlying construct. Across various research samples, the scale typically yields a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranging from .85 to .92 for the total score. This high coefficient suggests excellent reliability.

Test-retest reliability, which assesses the stability of scores over time, has also been established, demonstrating that the self-silencing patterns measured by the STSS are stable traits rather than momentary states. Studies using intervals of several weeks often report correlation coefficients above .70, supporting the scale’s stability.

Factor Analysis

While the STSS was originally developed as a unidimensional measure of self-silencing, subsequent rigorous factor analysis has repeatedly supported a multidimensional structure. The most commonly accepted structure suggests the existence of four primary factors, although the specific item loading can sometimes shift depending on the population sample:

1. Silencing: Items reflecting the inhibition of feelings to avoid conflict (e.g., “I don’t speak my feelings in an intimate relationship when I know they will cause disagreement”).
2. Externalized Self-Perception: Items focusing on defining oneself based on others’ views (e.g., “I tend to judge myself by how I think other people see me”).
3. Caretaking/Self-Sacrifice: Items reflecting the belief that caring means prioritizing the partner’s needs (e.g., “Caring means putting the other person’s needs in front of my own”).
4. The Divided Self: Items related to the loss of self or authenticity in the relationship (e.g., “When I am in a close relationship I lose my sense of who I am”).

These four factors collectively contribute to the overall score, providing both a global measure of self-silencing and subscale scores for detailed assessment of specific relational patterns.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Scale (Self-Report Inventory)

Format: 31 items (in the full version, although the source provided includes 29 primary items plus two follow-up questions) assessed using a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (original); widely translated into languages including Spanish, Dutch, Italian, and Hebrew.

Population Group: Generally used for adults in intimate relationships, but applicable to various populations studying relational dynamics.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 16 years and older).

Population Details: Originally validated primarily on women, although subsequent research has successfully used the scale with men and diverse gender populations to study relational processes.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement using a scale ranging from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree). Total scores are calculated by summing the responses, often requiring reverse scoring for certain items (e.g., Item 8 and Item 15 in the provided list) where agreement indicates less self-silencing.

Keywords

Relational dynamics, Self-esteem, Autonomy, Relational-Cultural Theory, Silencing the Self, Intimacy, Conflict avoidance, Psychological measurement, Women’s mental health

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (ORCID not available for 1991 publication)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Contact information typically routed through university website)

Correspondence Address: Dana Crowley Jack, Ph.D., Western Washington University (Based on provided link: Dana Crowley Jack)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially copyrighted in 1991 by Dana Crowley Jack. While the scale is often used freely for non-commercial academic research, users should consult the author or official source (such as the website provided: http://faculty.wwu.edu/djack/stss.html) regarding specific permissions, particularly for clinical or commercial applications. The original test year is 1991.

Reference’s

The definitive reference for the development and validation of the STSS is the foundational work by the author, often cited alongside her book on the subject.

• Jack, D. C. (1991). The Silencing the Self Scale. Copyright, Dana Crowley Jack.
• Jack, D. C. (1991). Silencing the self: Women and depression. Harvard University Press.
• Jack, D. C. (2018). Silencing the self: The power of the voice. Routledge.

Items of the The Silencing the Self Scale

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