Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale
by May Bleeker, 1 July 2009 (updated 3 Jul 2020)
The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (link below) is a short questionnaire that gives you a quick, thumbnail sketch of your level of self esteem. It takes 5 minutes to complete.
The results of this questionnaire will reflect back to you your own beliefs about your self esteem.
If you do the test below and score lower than 15 - this suggests low self esteem. Scores between 15 - 25 are what most people get.
Answer as honestly as possible
Because it is a self-report questionnaire (you fill in the answers about yourself) and the questions are fairly simple and transparent you can easily manipulate the result to get the answer you wish for. (Try it and see).
With these types of questionnaires the accuracy of the result depends on your sincerity and level of self awareness.
The IT principle of 'garbage in- garbage out' applies.
For example:
If you answer sincerely and have an accurate image of yourself, then the results will reflect your real level of self esteem.
If you are motivated to answer in a particular way (positive or negative) because of who will see your results, or if your self image is not accurate, then the end result might not reflect your actual level of self esteem, but rather what you believe to be your level of self esteem.
Obviously, answering insincerely will be a waste of your time and it would be much quicker to just stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself what you wish to hear.
It is still useful to do the questionnaire, if only to clarify for yourself what your beliefs are about your level of self esteem.
This self assessment is quite simple and quick to do, but is still widely regarded as both: valid: it measures what it says it measures i.e. self esteem and reliable - it is accurate in what it measures.
This version of the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale found on the W.W.Norton & Company website is quick and easy to complete.
If you do happen to score below 15, please do come back to browse these pages. I hope you will find something useful here.
- Self Esteem Home ›
- What is self esteem? ›
- Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale
