Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
Published on: March 1, 2019
Pursuing and distancing: the construct and its measurement
D M Bernstein1, J Santelli, K Alter-Reid
1Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA.
Abstract:
Although the concept of interpersonal pursuing and distancing has been introduced and used clinically, the lack of a reliable and valid measure has deterred its more formal investigation and relevance to personality theory. The Pursuing-Distancing (P-D) Scale, a 92-item measure of the behavioral expression of these characteristics, was developed. Evidence for internal consistency as well as internal support of construct validity is presented and discussed. An 80-item revised scale is available from the authors and is currently being evaluated in a variety of external validation settings.
Related Concept Videos
Design Example: Measuring Distance Between Two Points with Obstructions
Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
Strategies of Self-Presentation III: Self-Monitoring
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Accuracy and Precision