Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire – ICQ
Measures individual differences in interpersonal competence across five distinct domains of peer relationships.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire – ICQ was developed by Buhrmester, D., Furman, W., Wittenberg, M. T., & Reis, H. T. (1988). It is designed to measure Interpersonal Competence. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Initiating relationships, Asserting displeasure, Self-disclosure, Providing emotional support, Managing interpersonal conflicts.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Initiating relationships | 1,6,11,16,21,26,31,36 | 8 |
| Asserting displeasure | 2,7,12,17,22,27,32,37 | 8 |
| Self-disclosure | 3,8,13,18,23,28,33,38 | 8 |
| Providing emotional support | 4,9,14,19,24,29,34,39 | 8 |
| Managing interpersonal conflicts | 5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = I'm poor at this, 2 = I'm only fair at this, 3 = I'm OK at this, 4 = I'm good at this, 5 = I'm extremely good at this.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 40 to 200. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Interpersonal Competence: 40 – 100
- Moderate Interpersonal Competence: 101 – 150
- High Interpersonal Competence: 151 – 200
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Initiating: .85-.86, Self-disclosure: .82, Asserting displeasure: .85-.86, Emotional support: .86-.87, Conflict management: .77.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.