Automatic Self Recriminations: Development and Validation of a Measure of Self-Condemnatory Internal Dialogue

This article introduces a measure of self-condemnatory internal dialogue as an element of the relationship with the self: The Automatic Self-Recrimination Scale (ASRS). Using the construct validation approach to test construction, we describe the initial development of items and report on findings from a clinical and nonclinical sample showing the ASRS is best understood as a multidimensional measure of self-critical internal dialogue composed of one higher-order factor and four lower-order facets: Not Mattering, Self as Failure, Undeserving Self, and Loathsomeness. The overall scale and four subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Moreover, there was evidence of good convergent and incremental validity of the ASRS subscales with measures of perfectionism, self-criticism, and dysfunctional attitudes. Overall, the ASRS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of an automatic self-recriminatory internal dialogue.