No abstract

Even though self-confidence is a popular concept both in everyday life and in psychology, no individual difference measure is available. The purpose of this study was to construct and validate an 18-item self-confidence scale. A sample of 191 white undergraduate students from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (44 men and 147 women) participated. An exploratory factor analysis indicated two distinct factors; one measured a general cognitive aspect of self-confidence and a second evaluated a more specific self-confidence in one's abilities and opinions. Internal consistency (Cronbach α) was .84. Intercorrelations with other related measures (.23 to .69) were significant and in the expected direction. The new scale could be useful when a specific measure of self-confidence is required as an individual difference measure.