How the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Works

When it comes to understanding our self-esteem, we often find ourselves in a bit of a gray area. We know it's important, but pinning down exactly how we feel about ourselves can be tricky.

That's where the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) comes in. The scale is a brief questionnaire consisting of 10 statements that assess our sense of self-worth, says Aimee Daramus, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Clarity Clinic, Chicago.

It was developed in 1965 by Dr. Morris Rosenberg, an American social psychologist who was renowned for his theories about self-esteem and the self-concept.

The scale is widely regarded as a reliable and valid tool for measuring self-esteem, says Tatiana Rivera Cruz, MSW, LCSW, a therapist at ADHDAdvisor.

Let's explore how the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale works, its applications and limitations, and what it can reveal about how we perceive ourselves.

Understanding Self-Esteem

Self-esteem essentially refers to how we feel about ourselves. It's how we perceive ourselves in terms of our abilities, qualities, and overall worthiness. It has a major impact on how we think, feel, and act in everyday life.

High self-esteem means we feel pretty confident, capable, and positive about who we are. It has a beneficial impact on many aspects of our lives, including our career, relationships, and mental health.

Low self-esteem, on the other hand, can lead to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and negative self-talk. It can hold us back and keep us from going after the things we want. What’s more, low self-esteem is also linked to several mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and eating disorders.

But, how do we figure out whether our self-esteem is high or low, and exactly how high or how low it is? The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale can help us with that.

How to Use the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale consists of 10 statements related to self-esteem. Each statement is related to a different aspect of self-esteem, such as self-acceptance, self-worth, and self-confidence. Five of the statements are positively worded and the other five are negatively worded.

You have to rate each statement on a scale of “strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." In psychology, this type of rating system is known as a Likert scale.

The questionnaire assigns points to each response. At the end of the 10 questions, all the points are summed up to get a total score. A higher total score indicates higher self-esteem, while lower scores suggest lower self-esteem.

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is fairly straightforward and easy to use. Just follow the steps below.

Taking the Questionnaire

Start by reading the following statements carefully. Decide how you feel about each one. Choose the response that best suits your feelings.

Calculating Your Score

Here’s how you can score your questionnaire:

For the positively worded statements (1, 2, 4, 6, and 7), the points are scored one way: 

• Strongly Agree = 3 points
• Agree = 2 points
• Disagree = 1 points
• Strongly Disagree = 0 points

For the negatively worded statements (3, 5, 8, 9, and 10), the points are scored in reverse: 

• Strongly Agree = 0 points
• Agree = 1 points
• Disagree = 2 points
• Strongly Disagree = 3 points

Total up your points at the end of the questionnaire. You will get a total score between 0 to 30. The higher your score, the higher your self-esteem likely is.

This is one way of scoring the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. However, it’s also possible to score the scale in other ways. For example, some researchers assign each statement values of 1 to 4 points, instead of 0 to 3 points, so the scores range from 10 to 40 as a result. Others give participants five or seven options in the responses (instead of four), which changes the scoring combinations.

Interpreting the Results

Dr. Rosenberg did not establish specific cut-off points to define high or low self-esteem on the scale.

However, some researchers have chosen to set thresholds to categorize respondents based on their scores, making it easier to classify levels of self-esteem. For example, one study has designated:

• 0 to 15 points: Low self-esteem
• 16 to 25 points: Normal self-esteem
• 26 to 30 points: High self-esteem

Reliability and Validity of the Scale

We asked the experts whether the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is considered reliable and valid.

Research has demonstrated that the scale has high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, says Cruz. “It has been used and validated in various cultural contexts, showing that it can effectively measure self-esteem across different populations.”

In fact, Cruz notes that it is often used in psychological research because it can predict various psychological outcomes, such as mental health, well-being, and academic achievement.

Reliability

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale demonstrates high internal consistency, which means that all the questions measure the same thing. For example, if someone agreed with statements such as "I like to travel" and "I've enjoyed traveling in the past," but disagreed with the statement "I hate travel," this would indicate that the test has good internal consistency.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the scale demonstrates a Guttman scale coefficient of reproducibility of .92, indicating excellent internal consistency.

The scale also has good test-retest reliability, meaning that if you take it more than once the results will stay consistent as long as the circumstances have stayed consistent, says Dr. Daramus. “So if you take it twice, on two different days, and your self-esteem has not changed, the test results will not change significantly based on other factors, like mood, emotion, or other factors that can fluctuate.”

Validity

The scale has construct validity, which means that it measures what it's supposed to measure and nothing else, Dr. Daramus explains. “It also has concurrent validity, which means that if you compare it to another valid test of self-esteem, your score will be consistent with the score for the other self-esteem test.”

The APA notes that the scale correlates significantly with other measures of self-esteem, including the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory as well as with other measures of depression and anxiety.

Applications of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is one of the most widely used measures of self-esteem.

Dr. Rosenberg initially developed the scale with a sample of 5,024 high school students from 10 randomly chosen schools in the New York State area. Although it was originally developed for students, it has proved useful with a variety of groups of people, says Dr. Daramus.

The scale is public domain, which means it can be modified for any purpose, so several versions of it exist. In fact, it has been translated into over 28 languages, in 53 countries.

Furthermore, “it is short and straightforward, making it easy to administer and interpret,” says Cruz.

These are some of the applications of the scale:

• Mental health assessment: Mental health professionals use the scale to assess self-esteem in patients as part of a broader psychological evaluation. It helps identify issues related to depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions where self-esteem is a significant factor. It is also used to track changes in self-esteem over time, as a way to monitor treatment progress.
• Psychological research: The scale is used to identify variations in self-esteem across groups of different ages, cultures, and demographics. It is also widely used in market research studies to understand consumer behavior and preferences.
• Student self-esteem: School counselors and educators use the scale to assess the self-esteem of students. It helps identify students who may be at risk of academic or social difficulties due to low self-esteem. It can also be used to evaluate the impact of interventional programs on students' self-esteem.
• Workplace well-being: In organizational psychology, the scale is sometimes used to assess employee self-esteem, which can affect their productivity, job satisfaction, and interpersonal relationships at work.
• Public health programs: The scale can be used in community health initiatives aimed at improving mental health and well-being, particularly in programs focused on empowerment and self-improvement.

Limitations and Criticisms

Like any other psychological instrument, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale also has its limitations and criticisms. These include:

• Unidimensional measure: The scale is designed to measure global self-esteem, which is essentially an overall sense of our self-worth. It does not account for domain-specific self-esteem, which means we may feel more or less confident about ourselves in specific areas like academic ability, social skills, or physical appearance. This can limit the scale's ability to capture a complete picture of our self-esteem.
• Response biases: Since the scale relies on self-reported answers, it is vulnerable to response biases, says Dr. Daramus. “An example of response bias is ‘social acceptability bias,’ which is a tendency to give socially acceptable answers instead of the most accurate answers. While this is often done unconsciously and unintentionally, it can affect the accuracy of responses nonetheless.”
• Cultural differences: The scale was developed in the United States, and while it has been widely used across different cultures, the interpretation of self-esteem can vary significantly from one culture to another. Some cultures may value humility or collectivism, which could affect how individuals respond to the scale's questions.
• Static nature: The scale provides a snapshot of self-esteem at a single point in time, says Cruz. “Self-esteem can fluctuate based on recent experiences or changes in circumstances, which the scale does not account for.”
• Negatively worded statements: The scale includes both positively and negatively worded items to control for response biases. However, some respondents may find the negatively worded items confusing or difficult to understand, leading to inconsistent answers.
• Limited response options: The scale uses a four-point Likert scale, which may not capture the full range of someone’s feelings. The forced-choice nature of the scale can limit respondents' ability to express nuanced or mixed feelings about themselves.
• Varying interpretations: While the scale provides a score, Dr. Rosenberg did not establish definitive cut-off points for high, moderate, or low self-esteem. This means that researchers and clinicians need to interpret scores based on context, which can lead to variability in how results are understood and used.
• Lack of diagnostic capability: The scale is a screening tool rather than a diagnostic instrument. While it can indicate levels of self-esteem, it does not diagnose underlying mental health issues or provide detailed insights into the causes of low self-esteem.

Takeaways

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale offers a simple yet powerful way to take a closer look at how we view ourselves. Whether we're feeling on top of the world or struggling with self-doubt, this tool can help us gauge where we stand in terms of self-esteem.

However, it’s important to remember that the scale is neither a diagnostic tool nor a substitute for professional treatment. If you’re struggling with something you need help with, please reach out to a mental health professional as soon as possible.