Sense of Control Scale – SC
Measures an individual's perceived control over their life, divided into personal mastery and perceived constraints.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Sense of Control Scale – SC was developed by Margie E. Lachman, Suzanne L. Weaver (1998). It is designed to measure Sense of Control. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Personal Mastery, Perceived Constraints.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Mastery | 3,5,6,8 | 4 |
| Perceived Constraints | 1,2,4,7,9,10,11,12 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Disagree strongly, 2 = Disagree somewhat, 3 = Disagree a little, 4 = Don't know, 5 = Agree a little, 6 = Agree somewhat, 7 = Agree strongly.
The scale includes 8 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 12 to 84. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Sense of Control: 12 – 36
- Moderate Sense of Control: 37 – 60
- High Sense of Control: 61 – 84
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Personal mastery: alpha = .70; Perceived constraints: alpha = .86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.