Analysis

The Silencing the Self Scale is designed to assess the phenomenon of “silencing the self,” where individuals restrict or suppress their personal views, feelings, and needs due to fears or social pressures. This scale examines the extent to which people remain silent or repressed in order to maintain relationships or avoid conflicts, and how this affects their mental health and well-being.

Purpose

The main purpose of the Silencing the Self Scale is to analyze an individual’s tendency to suppress personal thoughts, feelings, and needs. The scale helps in understanding the psychological mechanisms that lead to this silence, as well as its relationship to self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and psychological well-being.

Scoring

The scale includes statements that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The statements focus on various aspects of silencing the self, such as the suppression of emotions, the avoidance of expressive connection, and the impact on self-esteem.

References

Jack, D. C., & Ali, R. (2010). Silencing the Self Scale. In The Handbook of Women, Stress, and Trauma (pp. 157-174). Routledge.
Jack, D. C. (1991). Silencing the Self: Essays on Emotional Experience and Women’s Development. Harvard University Press.
Jack, D. C. (1995). The silencing of the self and depression. In E. N. K. Stigler & C. L. Snyder (Eds.), Stress and Coping: An Anthology (pp. 76-90). Springer.
Gergen, K. J. (2009). Relational Being: Beyond Self and Community. Oxford University Press.
Blatt, S. J., & Shichman, S. (1983). The Self in Psychopathology: From Theory to Practice. Academic Press.