title: Self-liking and self-competence as dimensions of global self-esteem: initial validation of a measure.
abstract: Three studies were conducted to validate the conceptualization of global self-esteem as consisting of two dimensions: a sense of social worth, or self-liking, and a sense of personal efficacy, or self-competence. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the a priori structure of the Self-Liking/Self-Competence Scale, a self-report instrument designed to measure the two dimensions. In Study 2, a second structural analysis showed the dimensionality of Rosenberg's (1965) Self-Esteem Scale to parallel the proposed dichotomy. In Study 3, self-liking and self-competence were related to several theoretically linked constructs--depression, self-perceived abilities, and perceived parental approval--with the resulting pattern of correlations supporting their conceptualization as substantively distinct dimensions. The implications of these findings for understanding global self-esteem are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tafarodi
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Swann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012649:Self Concept