Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths – PIES
Measures the development of psychosocial ego strengths based on Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths – PIES was developed by Markstrom, C., Sabino, V. M., Turner, B., & Berman, R. C. (1997). It is designed to measure Psychosocial Ego Strengths. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 64 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Hope, Will, Purpose, Competence, Fidelity, Love, Care, Wisdom.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Hope | 8,15,26,32,39,42,44,58 | 8 |
| Will | 2,4,19,27,33,36,54,63 | 8 |
| Purpose | 16,24,25,28,40,45,51,62 | 8 |
| Competence | 3,11,13,29,35,59,61,64 | 8 |
| Fidelity | 6,10,18,20,37,41,48,53 | 8 |
| Love | 1,7,14,23,34,38,57,60 | 8 |
| Care | 9,17,21,30,46,47,52,55 | 8 |
| Wisdom | 5,12,22,31,43,49,50,56 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Does not describe me well, 2 = Describes me slightly well, 3 = Describes me moderately well, 4 = Describes me well, 5 = Describes me very well.
The scale includes 32 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 64 to 320. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Ego Strength: 64 – 149
- Moderate Ego Strength: 150 – 234
- High Ego Strength: 235 – 320
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.