Development of the Uskudar Self-Consciousness Scale and examination of its psychometric properties in the context of skepticism and narcissism

Abstract

Self-consciousness involves knowing and observing oneself, but in today's world, it also reflects rising psychological issues. Disconnection from one's inner world, emotional illiteracy, and behavioral inconsistency can harm personal and social integrity. Skepticism and narcissism both contribute to and result from this lack of self-awareness. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable dimensional Uskudar Self-Consciousness Scale (USSCS) that includes two perspectives by focusing on skepticism and narcissism, and to examine its psychometric properties. Data were collected from 1119 participants across Turkey. As a result of the study, the Uskudar Self-Consciousness Scale consisted of two independent scales: Uskudar Skepticism Scale (USSES) and Uskudar Narcissism Scale (USNAS). The first scale, USSES, consisted of 20 items and 4 dimensions, and the structure explained 52.92% of the total variance. Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency reliability coefficient was found to be .89 in the total scale. The second scale, USNAS, consisted of 25 items and 5 factors. The total variance explained was 52.75%. Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency was found to be .90. Modeling confirmed both scales’ structures, with acceptable goodness-of-fit values. According to the first results obtained in the study; (a) young generations are more skeptical and their narcissism is high, (b) skepticism and narcissism increase as the level of education increases, (c) in the 1119-person Turkey sample, skeptical affect and narcissism were found to be at a low level. As a result, a valid, reliable, and dimensional self-consciousness self-assessment scale that includes skepticism and narcissism was developed.