The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is a widely used self-report instrument for evaluating individual self-esteem. Developed by sociologist Morris Rosenberg in the 1960s, it is a simple, ten-item Likert scale with items answered on a four-point scale—from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The scale measures global self-worth by measuring both positive and negative feelings about the self. (Reference: Society and The adolescent Self-Image. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.)
The ten items include statements related to overall feelings of self-worth or self-acceptance, such as “On the whole, I am satisfied with myself” and “I feel that I have a number of good qualities.” Five of the items have positively worded statements, and five have negatively worded statements, which are reversed when scoring. The total score ranges from 10 to 40, with higher scores indicating higher self-esteem.
Despite its simplicity and age, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale remains a popular choice for psychological research and clinical assessment due to its reliability, validity, and ease of use. It has been translated into multiple languages and used in various cultural contexts, highlighting its utility in assessing self-esteem across diverse populations.
Measure the level of your self-esteem with the Rosenberg self-esteem scale
The scale can be used to assess global self-esteem and it is one of the most widely used self-esteem tests among psychologists and sociologists.
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965)
The original sample for which the scale was developed consisted of 5,024 High School Juniors and Seniors from 10 randomly selected schools in New York State.
Instructions: Below is a list of statements dealing with your general feelings about yourself. If you strongly agree, circle SA. If you agree with the statement, circle A. If you disagree, circle D. If you strongly disagree, circle SD.
1. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.
SA -A -D -SD
2.* At times, I think I am no good at all.
SA -A -D -SD
3. I feel that I have a number of good qualities.
SA -A -D -SD
4. I am able to do things as well as most other people.
SA -A -D -SD
5. * I feel I do not have much to be proud of.
SA -A -D -SD
6. * I certainly feel useless at times.
SA -A -D -SD
7. I feel that I’m a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others.
SA -A -D -SD
8. * I wish I could have more respect for myself.
SA -A -D -SD
9. * All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure.
SA -A -D -SD
10. I take a positive attitude toward myself.
SA -A -D -SD
Scoring: SA=3, A=2, D=1, SD=0. Items with an asterisk are reverse scored, that is, SA=0, A=1, D=2, SD=3. Sum the scores for the 10 items. The higher the score, the higher the self-esteem. Scores below 15 suggest low self-esteem.