COMPLEXITY OF SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS SUBSCALES - CORRELATIONS OF FACTORS WITH SELF-ESTEEM AND DIETARY RESTRAINT

Assumptions that the Private and Public Self-Consciousness Subscales m easure unitary constructs have been challenged by recent researchers. In the present study, these subscales and the factors within them were correlated with personal and collective self-esteem and with concerns about eating. Contrasts between the Internal State Awareness and Self -Reflectiveness factors from the Private Self-Consciousness Subscale w ere especially noteworthy. Internal State Awareness predicted higher p ersonal self-esteem. Self-Reflectiveness and the full Private Self-Con sciousness Subscales displayed opposite correlations. Internal State A wareness also was associated with greater collective self-esteem, sugg esting its relevance to ''public'' as well as to ''private'' aspects o f self-functioning. Self-Reflectiveness predicted higher concerns abou t dieting. These data reconfirmed the complexity of the Private Self-C onsciousness Subscale.