Psychological Reports, 1970, 27, 431-434.

@ Psychological Reports 1970

ASPECTS O F ALCOHOLICS' SELF-CONCEPTS AS MEASURED BY

THE TENNESSEE SELF-CONCEPT SCALE
WILLIAM P. GROSS A N D LINDA 0.ALDER
Veterans Admini~trationHospital, Lexington, Kentucky
Summary.-The Tennessee Self-concept Scale was administered to 140 male
alcoholics when they voluntarily entered the 60-day Alcoholic Treatment Program at the Lexington, Kentucky, Veterans Adminiscracion Hospital. The alcoholics differed significantly in a negative direction from the standardization
group on 10 scales. The test results suggest that the alcoholics' derogative selfperceptions are general and not specil~cto narrow phases of personality and behavior.

A number of personality theorists have made self-concept a central construct

in their explanations of adaptive and maladaptive behavior (2,4, 7, 8, 9). Most
of these theorists emphasize that an individual's self-perceptions influence or determine what he does and that his behavior is generally consistent with his self
view ( 2 , 5, 9 ) ; therefore, it seems important for smdents of alcoholism to test
the basic formulations inherent in self-theory as these relate to the self-defeating
behavior of the alcoholic.
Most conceptualizations about the relationship between alcoholics' selfconcepts and their behavior have been derived from clinical observations racher
than empirical research. For example, Blane (1) has noted that alcoholics are
prone to underevaluacion of self, and Sessions (10) has pointed out that low
self-regard is the basis of much of problem drinkers' behavior. Some empirical
investigations have been conducted on the self-perceptions of alcoholics; however, these have been few, restricted to small samples, and concerned with a limited number of aspects of self-concept.
The objectives of this study were to measure important aspects of alcoholics'
self-concepts by means of a standardized inventory and to compare these measurements with those from the assumed non-alcoholic standardization group. It
was hypothesized that on the Tennessee Self-concept Scale: ( a ) the means of
the alcoholic sample would be significantly less than the means of the standardization group on these subscales or scores: Total Positive, Identity, Self-satisfaction, Behavior, Physical Self, Moral-Ethical Self, Personal Self, Family Self,
and Social Self; and ( b ) the mean for the alcoholic sample would be significantly greater than the mean of the standardization group on the aspect of Self-criticism.
METHOD
Subjects
Ss were 140 male alcoholics who voluntarily entered the 60-day Alcoholic Treaunent
Program at the Lexington, Kentucky, Veterans Administration Hospital. The age of the
group ranged from 26 to 58 yr., wirh a mean age of 42.5; the mean IQ was 101.7 on a

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W. F. GROSS

&

L. 0. ALDER

group intelligence test. The average number of formal years of schooling was 10.6. Although the Tennessee Self-concept Scale was administered early in treatment, none of the
Ss was considered intoxicated, overly medicated, or showing signs of withdrawal.
The reference group used in this study was the standardization sample (N of 626)
reported in the manual for the Tennessee Self-concept Scale. Fitts has found that "the
effects of such demographic variables as sex, age, race, education, and intelligence on the
scores of this scale are quite negligible" and that "samples from other populations do not
differ appreciably from the norms;" therefore, it was not deemed necessary to establish a
separate normative group for this investigation ( 3 ) .
Znslrum ent

The Tennessee Self-concept Scale (TSCS) is composed of 100 self-descriptive statements to which S responds along a five-point scale, according to the way the item describes
his own perception of himself. Ninety of the items, equally divided as co positive and
negative statements, make up the eight subscales of the test which define Self-esteem. The
remaining 1 0 mildly derogatory items, which most people admit as being true for them,
compose the Self-criticism Scale. For purposes of this study, scores were obtained for 1 0
subscales (Total Positive, Identity, Self-satisfaction, Behavior, Physical Self, Moral-Ethical
Self, Personal Self, Family Self, Social Self, and Self-criricjsm). Test-retest reliabilities
for these subscales range from .75 to 9 2 . According to Fins, "Validation procedures are
of four kinds: content validity, discrimination between groups, correlation with other personaliry measures, and personality changes under particular conditions" ( 3 ) .
Procedure

The TSCS was administered to all patients who entered the Alcoholic Treatment Program at the Lexington VA Hospital during the period of a year. The scale was administered early in the trearment program to small groups. The scores for the alcoholic sample were then compared with the standardization or norm group's scores on each of the 1 0
self-concept aspects to determine whether significant differences existed. Hotelling's modification of the variance ratio for multivariate data was computed ro see whether there was
a significant difference between groups over all the aspects of self-concept. Finally, a simple between-groups t value was found for the 9 subscales taken in pairs.

RESULTS
The F value obtained for the variance ratio (31.36) for the total score
differences was significant ( p < .001), with dfs of 9 and 130. Thus, there
was a significant difference in the 10 aspects of self-concept between the alcoholic sample and the standardization sample.
It can be seen from Table 1 that each of the 10 t values was significant ( p
< ,001). This means that there were significant hfferences between the alcoholic sample and the standardization group for the 10 aspects of self-concept
measured. The t value for the total positive score was negative, showing that
the over-all level of self-esceem of the alcoholic sample was lower than that of
the standardization sample.
The alcoholics perceived themselves significantly less favorably on the
Identity (what I am), Self-satisfaction (how I feel about myself), and Behavior (what I do) scores than did those in the standardization group. These
three subscales, according to Fitts, "represent an internal frame of reference within which the individual is describing himself" ( 3 ) .

SELF-CONCEPTS OF ALCOHOLICS
TABLE 1

MEANSCORES
ON 10 ASPECTS OF SELF-CONCEPTS
OF AN ALCOHOLICSAMPLE
AND A STANDARDIZATION
GROUPAS MEASURED
BY TENNESSEE
SELF-CONCEPT
SCALE
Scale

ML

M=

MI-M?

a*

Total Positive
286.23
Identity
109.40
Self-satisfaction
82.98
Behavior
93.85
Physical Self
58.57
Moral-Ethical Self
54.47
Personal Self
52.73
Family Self
57.13
Social Self
62.40
Self-criticism
38.67
*At p,, t = 3.29, df = 139.
The alcoholics also consrrued themselves significantly more negatively than
did those in the standardization group on the scores pertaining to Physical Self
(body, health, appearance, skills, sexuality), Moral-Ethical Self (moral worth,
relationship to God, satisfaction with one's religion), Personal Self (personal
worth and adequacy, evaluation of personality), Family Self (adequacy, worth,
and value as a family member), and Social Self (adequacy and worth in interaction with others). These five subscales are said to represent an external frame
of reference ( 3 ) .
The positive t value computed for the Self-criticism subscale substantiates
chat the alcoholics were more open and self-critical than were chose in the standardization sample.

DISCUSSION
The results provide empirical support for the clinical observation that alcoholics view themselves as generally inadequate and unworthy of respect. The
finding that the alcoholics in this sample differed significantly in a negative direction from the standardization group on numerous and important aspects of
self-concept suggests that the derogative self-perceptions of alcoholics are global
or general, not specific and limited to narrow spheres of personality and behavior. This configuration of highly negative conceptualizations of self may be
central to what some have termed the "alcoholic personality" (4, 6 ) .
Much of the alcoholic's self-defeating life style can be understood in the
context of self-theory which holds that the self-concept is the basic determinant
of behavior. Thus, the alcoholic's destructive existence can be construed largely
as a function of his abasement-oriented self-image. Moreover, the alcoholic's intrapunitive and extrapunitive actions evoke negative and hostile reactions from
the social environment which only serve to confirm his disparaged self-view.

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W. F. GROSS 8: L. 0. ALDER

The ultimate aim of those involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of

alcoholics is to reduce or eliminate their destroying behavior. According to
self-theory and client-centered cherapy, this can best be accomplished by concentrating treatment modaliries on the development of more adequate and positive
self-concepts. Research generated by client-centered cherapy has demonstrated
that constructive changes in self and behavior do occur when an individual interacts with people who are authentic and congruent, show nonpossessive warmth,
and communicate empathic understanding ( 11) . As Truax has further emphasized, empathy, congruence, and warmth are powerful forms of positive reinforcement which can be used to alter self-perceptions and shape behavior. Thus,
it seems that the most effective therapeutic milieu for alcoholics would be one
in which these conditions of relationships are present and operative as reinforcers of healthful self-constructs and desired behavior. Additional research along
these lines is clearly indicated.
REFERENCES
1. BLANE,H. T. T h e personality o f the alcoholics. New York: Harper & Row, 1968.
2. COMBS,A. W., & SNYGG, D. Individual behavior. New York: Harper & Row,
1959.
3. F~TTS, W. R. Manual for the Tennessee Department o f Mental Health Self-concept
Scale. Nashville: Counselor Recordings and Tests, 1965.
4. JAMES, W . Principles of psychology. 2 vols. New York: Holt, 1890.
5. LECKY,P. Self-consistency: a theory of personality. New York: Island Press, 1945.
6. LISANSKY,E. S. Clinical research in alcoholism and the use of psychological tests: a
reevaluation. In R. Fox (Ed.), Alcoholism: behavioral rerearch, therapeulic approaches. New York: Springer, 1967. Pp. 3-13.
7. MEAD,
G. H. Mind, self, and society. Chicago: Univer. of Chicago Press, 1934.
8. RAIMY, V. C. Self-reference in counseling interviews. J . consult. Psychol., 1948, 12.
153-163.
9. ROGERS,C. R. Client-centered therapy: its current practice, implications, and theory.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1951.
10. SESSIONS,P. M. Social casework treaunent of alcoholics with the focus on the image
of self. In R. Fox (Ed.), Alcoholism: behavioral research, therapeutic approaches.
New York: Springer, 1967. Pp. 299-306.
11. TRUAX,
C. B., & CARKHUPF,
R. R. Toward effective counseling and psychotherapy:
rraining and practice. Chicago: Aldine, 1967.
Accepted Jaly 6, 1970.