Self-Control (General)

What it measures

A multiple-item Likert-type scale designed to measure the degree to which a person expresses having the ability to manage his/her inner responses and to resist acting upon undesired behavioral tendencies.

Response format

7-point Likert scale

Scale items

• I am good at resisting temptation.
• I have a hard time breaking bad habits. (r)
• I am lazy. (r)
• I say inappropriate things. (r)
• I do certain things that are bad for me, if they are fun. (r)
• I refuse things that are bad for me.
• I wish I had more self-discipline. (r)

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Reported alpha coefficients range from .77 to .88 across samples or studies.

Citation

Fennis, Bob M., Loes Janssen, and Kathleen D. Vohs (2009), “Acts of Benevolence: A Limited Resource Account of Compliance with Charitable Requests,” Journal of Consumer Research, 35 (6), 906-924.

Keywords