Fear of Success Consequence Scale: Measurement of Fear of Social Consequences of Academic Success

Abstract

An 18-item fear of consequences of success scale was developed and administered to 381 high school students. The scale has three subscales which measure (a) fear of negative peer reactions, (b) fear of compliments, and (c) fear of increased responsibility and expectations for continuous success as possible consequences of academic success. The scale evidenced an internal consistency reliability coefficient (Cronbach a) of .90 and significant item-total correlations (.50 ∼ .73), with a test-retest coefficient of .64 over 8 wk. Girls scored significantly higher on all the subscale and the total scores than did boys. The younger groups were more fearful about social consequences of success than were the older groups. Differences among the three grades were also significant. Possible research is mentioned.