State Self-Esteem Scale

What it measures

Measures current, fluctuating state self-esteem — self-evaluations in the moment — across performance, social, and appearance domains. Distinct from trait self-esteem (measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), state self-esteem varies in response to specific situational triggers such as feedback, social comparison, success and failure, and appearance cues. Performance self-esteem captures current feelings of competence and academic or occupational ability. Social self-esteem captures current feelings of social acceptance, liking, and belonging. Appearance self-esteem captures current satisfaction with physical appearance and body image. State self-esteem is a critical outcome and mediator in experimental research — it is sensitive to social comparisons, feedback manipulations, advertising exposure, and retail environment cues, making it widely used in experimental consumer psychology and advertising research.

Representative items

• I feel confident about my abilities. (Performance)
• I am worried about whether I am regarded as a success or failure. (R, Performance)
• I feel satisfied with the way my body looks right now. (Appearance)
• I feel self-conscious. (R, Social)
• I feel like others respect and admire me. (Social)

Citation

Heatherton, T.F., & Polivy, J. (1991). Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(6), 895–910.