Private Self-Consciousness Subscales: Correlates with Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Self-Discrepancy

Abstract

Two studies investigated the relationships between the two dimensions of Fenigstein, Scheier, and Buss' Private Self-Consciousness Scale [1], namely, self-reflectiveness and internal-state awareness, and neuroticism, extraversion, and self-discrepancy. Study 1 focused on neuroticism and extraversion and Study 2 focused on discrepancies between different domains of the self. Self-reflectiveness was related positively with neuroticism and negatively with extraversion, whereas internal-state awareness showed the opposite pattern of relationships: It was related negatively with neuroticism and positively with extraversion. In addition, only self-reflectiveness, and not internal-state awareness, was associated with greater self-discrepancy. The importance of reconceptualizing self-consciousness and the need for a new scale for self-consciousness are discussed.