Self-Concept Clarity Scale

What it measures

Low SCC individuals experience conflict between different self-beliefs, feel uncertain about who they are, and perceive their self-concept as unstable. High SCC individuals have a clear, coherent, and stable sense of their personal attributes. SCC correlates positively with self-esteem (r=0.60–0.67) and negatively with negative affectivity (r=–0.49 to –0.51). Western (Canadian) students score significantly higher on SCC than Eastern (Japanese) students, consistent with cultural differences in self-clarity. In consumer research, SCC is used as a moderator of self-congruity effects, brand identity fit, and responses to identity-threatening consumption contexts.

Representative items

• My beliefs about myself often conflict with one another. (R)
• On one day I might have one opinion of myself and on another day I might have a different opinion. (R)
• I spend a lot of time wondering about what kind of person I really am. (R)
• Sometimes I feel that I am not really the person I appear to be. (R)
• When I think about the kind of person I have been in the past, I'm not sure what I was really like. (R)

Citation

Campbell, J.D., Trapnell, P.D., Heine, S.J., Katz, I.M., Lavallee, L.F., & Lehman, D.R. (1996). Self-concept clarity: Measurement, personality correlates, and cultural boundaries. Journal of Personality, 64(1), 141–156.