Self-Compassion Scale
SCSPermission: Free for research use. Free for non-commercial academic research, with no license fee. Cite the original publication.
A 26-item measure of self-compassion across six subscales: self-kindness vs. self-judgment, common humanity vs. isolation, and mindfulness vs. over-identification.
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Reliability & validation
Subscales
Response anchors
Almost never · 2 · 3 · 4 · Almost always
Known limitations
Whether to score a single total or six factors is debated; combining the positively- and negatively-worded subscales is contested, as the negative items may tap self-criticism more than low self-compassion.
Original citation
Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3), 223-250.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309027Questions researchers ask
What does the SCS measure?
A 26-item measure of self-compassion across six subscales: self-kindness vs. self-judgment, common humanity vs. isolation, and mindfulness vs. over-identification.
How many items does the SCS have?
The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) has 26 items across 6 subscales: Self-Kindness, Self-Judgment, Common Humanity, Isolation, Mindfulness, Over-Identification.
Is the SCS free to use?
The SCS is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.
Is the SCS reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.92. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the SCS, and how do I cite it?
Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3), 223-250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309027
Related scales
Library entry verified September 2026. Metadata is provided for reference. Questionnaires are built in Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing, and can be taken to Qualtrics, Google Forms or Microsoft Forms, with their CSV responses brought back for scoring.