Attitudes Toward Self – ATS
Measures three potential self-regulatory vulnerabilities to depression: holding overly high standards, self-criticism, and generalization from failure.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Attitudes Toward Self – ATS was developed by Charles S. Carver, L. La Voie, J. Kuhl, & R. J. Ganellen (1988). It is designed to measure Self-regulatory vulnerabilities to depression. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 10 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: High Standards, Self-Criticism, Generalization.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| High Standards | 1,4,7 | 3 |
| Self-Criticism | 3,6,9 | 3 |
| Generalization | 2,5,8,10 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = I agree a lot, 2 = I agree a little, 3 = I'm in the middle–I neither agree nor disagree, 4 = I DISagree a little, 5 = I DISagree a lot.
The scale includes 9 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.