Self-connection and well-being: Development and validation of a self-connection scale

Kristine Klussman, Austin Lee Nichols, Nicola Curtin, Julia Langer, Edward Orehek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Self-connection is defined as an (1) awareness of oneself, (2) acceptance of oneself based on this awareness, and (3) alignment of one's behavior with this awareness. Although some promising results suggest that self-connection uniquely contributes to well-being, they have relied on an untested, single-item measure. To advance empirical examination of self-connection and its role in well-being, the current research developed and validated a 12-item Self-Connection Scale (SCS). We recruited a total of 1,469 participants across three studies to examine the SCS and its three underlying components. Using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we found evidence supporting the factor structure and inter-item reliability as well as evidence of construct, concurrent, and incremental validity. Importantly, results from three studies suggest that the SCS is associated with multiple important indicators of health and well-being. The scale also demonstrated incremental validity beyond mindfulness, authenticity, self-concept clarity, self-compassion, and self-acceptance in its association with various mental health and well-being indicators. Thus, the SCS provides a valuable tool to measure and examine self-connection and its relationship to well-being and other important psychological outcomes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)18-45
Number of pages28
JournalEuropean Journal of Social Psychology
Volume52
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • mental health
  • self-acceptance
  • self-alignment
  • self-awareness
  • self-connection
  • well-being

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