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 – 93
- Moderate Interpersonal Competence: 94 – 146
- High Interpersonal Competence: 147 – 200
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of α = .77 – .87.
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.