Applying the Cantril Methodology to Study Self-Esteem

The importance of the construct of self-esteem is evidenced by its extensive inclusion in prior research as a measure of well-being or adaptation to illness. Despite the construct's importance, current measures of self-esteem are inadequate when used among populations experiencing illnesses, such as cancer. Use of an alternative measure of self-esteem is proposed which addresses limitations of existing measures. The Self-Anchoring Self-Esteem Scale (SASES) is an adaptation of Cantril's methodology used to study quality of life, which requires individuals to subjectively define high and low endpoints of a 10-point ladder prior to providing numerical ratings. Data collected from three cross-sectional studies involving four samples of healthy individuals and women with cancer supported psychometric properties of the scale.