This article describes a study that was conducted to investigate the construct validity of a
self-anchored scale for measuring self-esteem. Self-anchored scale ratings of self-esteem were
correlated with scores on two self-esteem scales, a depression scale, and demographic variables
to provide evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Results suggest that self-anchored
scale scores may indeed reflect level of self-esteem. However, results also suggest that the
reliability of the self-anchored scale scores may be unacceptably low and that level of depression
may substantially influence a client's rating of self-esteem on a self-anchored scale.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Bloom, M. (1975). The paradox of helping: Introduction to the philosophy of scientific practice. New York: Wiley.
3.
Bloom, M., & Fischer, J. (1982). Evaluating practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall.
4.
Corcoran, K., & Fischer, J. (1987). Measures for clinical practice. New York: Free Press.
5.
Crockenberg, S., & Soby, B. (1989). Self-esteem and teenage pregnancy. In A. Mecca, N. Smelser, & J. Vasconcellos (Eds.), The social importance of self-esteem (pp. 125-164). Berkeley: University of California Press.
6.
Dies, R., & Teleska, P. (1985). Negative outcome in group psychotherapy. In D. T. Mays & C. M. Franks (Eds.), Negative outcome in psychotherapy and what to do about it (pp. 118-142). New York: Springer.
7.
Farkas, G., Sine, L., & Evans, I. (1979). The effects of distraction, performance demand, stimulus explicitness and personality on objective and subjective measures of male sexual arousal. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 17, 25-32.
8.
Ghiselli, E., Campbell, J., & Zedeck, S. (1981). Measurement theoryfor the behavioral sciences . San Francisco: Freeman.
9.
Gingerich, W. (1979). Procedure for evaluating clinical practice. Health and Social Work, 4, 104-130.
10.
Hersen, M., & Bellack, A. (1988). Dictionary of behavioral assessment techniques . Elmsford, NY: Pergamon.
11.
Hudson, W. (1982). The clinical measurement package: A field manual . Homewood, IL: Dorsey.
12.
Lambert, M., Shapiro, D., & Bergin, A. (1986). The effectiveness of psychotherapy. In S. Garfield & A. Bergin (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (pp. 157-212). New York: Wiley.
13.
Littrell, J., & Magel, D. (1991). The influence of self-concept on change in client behaviors: A review. Research on Social Work Practice, 1, 46-67.
14.
Mecca, A., Smelser, N., & Vasconcellos, J. (1989). The social importance of self-esteem. Berkeley: University of California Press.
15.
Miller, D. (1977). Handbook of research design and social measurement (3rd ed.). New York: David McKay.
16.
Nugent, W.R. (1992). Psychometric characteristics of self-anchored scales in clinical application. Journal of Social Service Research, 15, 137-152.
17.
Nugent, W.R. (in press). Differential validity in social work measurement. Social Service Review.
18.
Nugent, W.R., & Thomas, J. (1993). Validation of a clinical measure of self-esteem . Research on Social Work Practice, 3, 191-207.
19.
Nunnally, J. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York : McGraw-Hill.
20.
Schneiderman, L., Furman, W., & Weber, J. (1989). Self-esteem and chronic welfare dependency. In A. Mecca, N. Smelser, & J. Vasconcellos (Eds.), The social importance of self-esteem (pp. 200-247). Berkeley: University of California Press.
21.
Sellitz, C., Wrightsman, L., & Cook, S. (1976). Research methods in social research (3rd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
22.
Stevens, J. (1986). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
23.
Thyer, B., Papsdorf, J., Davis, R., & Vallecorsa, S. (1984). Autonomic correlates of the Subjective Anxiety Scale. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 15, 3-7.
24.
Wells, L., & Marwell, G. (1976). Self-esteem: Its conceptualization and measurement . Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Williams, J.M. (1984). The psychological treatment of depression: A guide to the theory and practice of cognitive-behavior therapy. New York: Free Press.
26.
Wincze, J., Hoon, P., & Hoon, E. (1977). Sexual arousal in women: A comparison of cognitive and physiological responses by continuous measurement. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 6, 121-133.
27.
Wolpe, J. (1969). The practice of behavior therapy. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon.
28.
Wolpe, J. (1973). The practice of behavior therapy (2nd ed.). Elmsford, NY: Pergamon.
29.
Wylie, R. (1974). The self-concept (Vol. 1). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
