Scale Overview
The Body Consciousness Questionnaire – BCQ was developed by Libby C. Miller, Rita Murphy, & Arnold H. Buss (1981). It is designed to measure Body Consciousness. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 15 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Private Body Consciousness, Public Body Consciousness, Body Competence.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Private Body Consciousness |
1,4,7,10,13 |
5 |
| Public Body Consciousness |
2,5,8,11,14,15 |
6 |
| Body Competence |
3,6,9,12 |
4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Extremely uncharacteristic, 1 = Somewhat uncharacteristic, 2 = Neither characteristic nor uncharacteristic, 3 = Somewhat characteristic, 4 = Extremely characteristic.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 60. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Body Consciousness: 0 – 20
- Moderate Body Consciousness: 21 – 40
- High Body Consciousness: 41 – 60
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .69 to .84 for the subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.