Self-transcendence

What it measures

The scale measures a felt sense of self-transcendence — the belief that part of oneself will persist and be remembered beyond physical death, whether through a lasting contribution or a connection maintained with others. Items were developed to test whether donating self-connected possessions helps satisfy this desire for transcendence, particularly under reminders of mortality.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I feel like a part of me will live on forever, I feel like I will be remembered.
• I know someone will always have a piece of me even after I’m gone.
• I feel like I am making a lasting contribution to the community.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Source not stated by Dunn, White, and Dahl (2020), who used the scale across a study, its follow-up, and a pretest. Reliability was strong and consistent (α = .90–.92). It was used as a manipulation check, offering indirect support for validity.

Citation

Dunn, L., White, K., & Dahl, D.W. (2020). A Little Piece of Me: When Mortality Reminders Lead to Giving to Others. Journal of Consumer Research, 47(3), 431-453.

Keywords