The Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS)

Abstract

The Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) is a widely utilized 22-item self-report psychological measurement instrument designed by Paul Gilbert and colleagues (2004) to assess individual variations in the ways people internally relate to themselves during experiences of perceived failure, setback, or personal disappointment. Grounded in evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), the FSCRS distinguishes between two qualitatively and functionally distinct forms of self-criticism—Inadequate Self (characterized by feelings of personal deficiency, incompetence, and failure to meet standards) and Hated Self (characterized by destructive self-disgust, inner persecution, and aggressive contempt toward the self)—alongside an affiliative, protective dimension termed Reassured Self (the capacity to access self-soothing, warmth, and supportive self-encouragement). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (“Not at all like me”) to 4 (“Extremely like me”). Across clinical and non-clinical populations, the FSCRS exhibits robust psychometric properties, consistently demonstrating high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha values typically ranging between 0.86 and 0.92 for Inadequate Self, 0.82 and 0.89 for Hated Self, and 0.84 and 0.88 for Reassured Self), solid structural stability verified via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and significant convergent and discriminant validity with measures of depression, shame, self-compassion, and borderline personality pathology. This comprehensive article provides an exhaustive psychometric, theoretical, and clinical review of the FSCRS, outlining its developmental foundations, underlying evolutionary affect regulation framework, statistical profiles, structural characteristics, and research utilities.

Keywords

Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale, FSCRS, Self-Criticism, Inadequate Self, Hated Self, Reassured Self, Compassion Focused Therapy, Paul Gilbert, Psychometrics, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Self-Soothing

Authors

The FSCRS was developed and psychometrically validated in 2004 by a multidisciplinary team of British clinical psychologists and psychometricians:

• Paul Gilbert, Ph.D., FBPsS: Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and Head of the Mental Health Research Unit, Kingsway Hospital, Southern Derbyshire Mental Health NHS Trust, United Kingdom. Gilbert is the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and The Compassionate Mind Foundation, recognized globally for his pioneering evolutionary models of affect regulation, shame, and self-criticism.
• Michele Clark, D.Clin.Psy.: Clinical Psychologist associated with the Mental Health Research Unit at Kingsway Hospital, Derby, UK, whose empirical work focused on the structural dynamics of self-attacking and gender differences in clinical manifestations of shame.
• Sharon Hempel, Ph.D.: Research Psychologist at the Mental Health Research Unit, Kingsway Hospital, Derby, UK, specializing in psychometrics, systematic research methodology, and evidence synthesis in psychiatric interventions.
• Jeremy N. V. Miles, Ph.D.: Quantitative Methodologist and Psychometrician at the Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK (later senior behavioral scientist at RAND Corporation and Google), widely recognized for his authoritative scholarship on structural equation modeling, exploratory factor analysis, and measurement error.
• Chris Irons, D.Clin.Psy.: Clinical Psychologist and CFT trainer with the Mental Health Research Unit, Derby, and founder of Balanced Minds, London, UK, focusing on the developmental pathways of attachment, internal working models, and compassionate self-relating.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) is to provide clinicians and researchers with a fine-grained, multidimensional measurement tool that evaluates how individuals psychologically and emotionally respond to their own errors, inadequacies, and life challenges. For decades, clinical psychology and psychiatric epidemiology conceptualized self-criticism as a monolithic, unidimensional vulnerability factor—a cognitive distortion or high personality trait often indexed through tools like the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) or the Self-Criticism subscale of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Blatt et al., 1976). However, evolutionary and clinical observations indicated that self-criticism is not homogeneous: it varies fundamentally in emotional tone, phenotypic expression, developmental etiology, and functional intent.

Gilbert and colleagues designed the FSCRS to unpack these critical nuances by systematically delineating:

1. The distinct forms of self-criticism, differentiating an internally distressing feeling of personal inadequacy from an actively malicious, contemptuous self-hatred.
2. The countervailing presence or absence of positive, affiliative internal resources—specifically the ability to generate emotional self-reassurance, self-comfort, and adaptive encouragement during moments of personal distress.

In clinical practice, the FSCRS serves as an essential diagnostic assessment and treatment-monitoring instrument. Many psychiatric disorders—including major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, eating disorders (such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa), borderline personality disorder, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)—are characterized not merely by cognitive errors, but by severe internal hostility and an incapacitating deficit in self-soothing capacities. Traditional cognitive-behavioral approaches often succeed in helping patients intellectually identify irrational thoughts, yet patients frequently report: “I know cognitively that I am not a total failure, but I still feel contempt for myself, and I cannot feel comforted by my own thoughts.”

The FSCRS directly captures this emotional dissociation. By isolating the Hated Self component, clinicians can identify individuals at elevated risk for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and active suicidality, as self-directed disgust and persecution are strong proximal drivers of somatic self-harm. Concurrently, assessing the Reassured Self subscale establishes a baseline metric of affiliative processing, allowing therapists practicing Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to evaluate whether therapeutic interventions are actively cultivating internal soothing competencies rather than merely suppressing punitive cognitive dialogues.

Psychological Construct

The FSCRS operationalizes three theoretically derived and empirically validated psychological constructs. These constructs reflect specific patterns of internal relating, affective coloring, and defensive or affiliative postures triggered by perceived failures or unmet standards.

1. Inadequate Self (IS)

The Inadequate Self subscale comprises 9 items reflecting an internal stance grounded in perceived incompetence, deficiency, failure, and sub-standard performance. In this mode, the individual responds to mistakes with disappointment, frustration, rumination, and a sense of being inherently flawed or “not good enough.” The primary emotional tones driving Inadequate Self are anxiety, demoralization, and frustration.

From an evolutionary and social rank perspective, the function of Inadequate Self-criticism is frequently corrective or protective. Individuals adopt an inadequate self-critical stance to prevent future errors, satisfy perceived external standards, avoid anticipated rejection from social groups, and maintain social inclusion. The internal dialogue is characterized by expressions such as “I am easily disappointed with myself” (Item 1) and “I remember and dwell on my failings” (Item 14). While distressing and closely linked to dysthymia, vulnerability to depressive episodes, and performance anxiety, the Inadequate Self does not necessarily seek the physical or psychological destruction of the self; rather, it represents a hyper-vigilant threat-monitoring system that berates the self to compel compliance with internalized social or personal standards.

2. Hated Self (HS)

The Hated Self subscale comprises 5 items operationalizing a profoundly toxic, punitive, and destructive form of self-relating. Unlike Inadequate Self, which stems from fear of falling short, Hated Self is anchored in pure self-directed contempt, disgust, antipathy, and visceral rage. In this state, the self becomes an object of intense revulsion, deserving of punishment, degradation, and eradication.

The internal dialogue in Hated Self reflects severe hostility: “I have a sense of disgust with myself” (Item 10), “I call myself names” (Item 15), and “I have become so angry with myself that I want to hurt or injure myself” (Item 9). This construct is theoretically linked to deep, traumatic internalized shame, wherein the individual identifies the self as repulsive or toxic. Hated Self is psychometrically and clinically distinct from Inadequate Self; while high Inadequate Self scores are common in student and community samples, elevations in Hated Self are primarily concentrated in clinical cohorts with severe personality pathology, chronic trauma histories, refractory depression, and self-injurious behaviors. The underlying functional intent is not self-correction, but self-persecution and retribution.

3. Reassured Self (RS)

The Reassured Self subscale consists of 8 positively worded items measuring the presence of internal affiliative, nurturing, and compassionate coping mechanisms when confronting adversity. Historically, many models assumed that low self-criticism automatically implied high self-reassurance. Gilbert et al. (2004) dismantled this bipolar assumption, proving that the capacity to reassure the self is an independent psychobiological process governed by distinct neurochemical and motivational architectures.

Reassured Self reflects the ability to generate warmth, gentleness, emotional support, and forgiveness toward oneself: “I find it easy to forgive myself” (Item 5), “I am gentle and supportive with myself” (Item 16), and “I can still feel lovable and acceptable” (Item 11). This dimension serves as a crucial emotional buffer, moderating the pathological impact of life stressors. A person may possess high levels of Inadequate Self yet retain modest Reassured Self capacities, which significantly mitigates clinical deterioration. Conversely, the catastrophic profile observed in treatment-resistant psychiatric populations is characterized by concurrent high Hated Self and an almost complete absence (near-zero scores) of Reassured Self.

Theoretical Framework

The FSCRS is anchored in the theoretical matrix of evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and the tripartite model of affect regulation formalized by Paul Gilbert in the development of Compassion Focused Therapy. According to this framework, human emotional experience and motivational patterns are organized around three evolved, neurochemically distinct affect regulation systems:

1. The Threat and Self-Protection System: Evolved to detect danger, ensure immediate survival, and execute defensive strategies (fight, flight, freeze, submit). This system is physiologically mediated by the amygdala, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, cortisol, and adrenaline.
2. The Drive, Seeking, and Resource-Acquisition System: Evolved to motivate individuals toward vital resources (food, territory, sexual partners, status). This system is mediated by dopaminergic pathways, generating feelings of excitement, energized focus, and achievement-oriented pleasure.
3. The Soothing, Affiliation, and Safety System: Evolved alongside mammalian caregiving and attachment systems. It produces states of contentment, quiescence, safeness, and social connectedness when the individual is not threatened and not pursuing drives. It is biochemically mediated by oxytocin, endogenous opioids, and parasympathetic vagal activation.

In evolutionary terms, social animals must constantly navigate their social rank and group inclusion. Exclusion, ostracism, or defeat in primate hierarchies carries severe survival consequences. Consequently, humans evolved acute internal monitoring mechanisms. When an individual makes a mistake or perceives a deficit, internal mental representations replicate external social dynamics: the individual splits internally into a “dominant/critic” part and a “subordinate/criticized” part.

When the Threat System dominates this internal dialogue, self-criticism takes center stage:

• In the Inadequate Self state, the threat system mobilizes submission strategies. The internal subordinate feels deflated, ashamed, and anxious, hoping that self-reproach will placate critical others or stimulate drive-based correction.
• In the Hated Self state, the threat system unleashes aggressive territorial and predator-defense routines against internal aspects of the self. The dominant internal voice treats personal weaknesses not as mistakes to be corrected, but as contaminants to be eradicated, deploying hatred and revulsion.

Conversely, the Reassured Self construct reflects the successful internalization of the mammalian caregiving and attachment system. Bowlby’s attachment theory posited that early interactions with attuned, protective, and soothing primary caregivers are encoded as internal working models of self and others. When individuals receive reliable warmth and soothing during childhood distress, they internalize these interactive patterns into self-directed competencies. As adults encountering failure, they can activate their Soothing System, down-regulating amygdala hyperactivity via oxytocinergic pathways and generating subjective feelings of safeness, acceptance, and compassion.

When early developmental environments are marked by neglect, hostile criticism, abuse, or chronic unpredictability, the soothing system remains neurobiologically underdeveloped. Under stress, such individuals have no internal neural circuitry to access self-reassurance; their internal landscape is dominated entirely by the hyperactive threat system, giving rise to intense Inadequate and Hated Self dynamics unchecked by soothing counterweights.

Validity

The psychometric validity of the FSCRS has been extensively evaluated across clinical, community, and student populations across the globe. Empirical research demonstrates outstanding construct, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity.

Construct and Structural Validity

Construct validity was initially established by Gilbert et al. (2004) in a sample of female undergraduate students (N = 246) and subsequently cross-validated across heterogeneous international populations. Principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) robustly confirm that the 3-factor model (Inadequate Self, Hated Self, and Reassured Self) provides an exceptional fit to the data, significantly outperforming alternative unidimensional or two-factor models (such as simply grouping all critical items against reassuring items). Factor correlation analyses demonstrate that while Inadequate Self and Hated Self correlate positively (typically r = .50 to .65), they share only 25% to 42% of common variance, demonstrating that they are distinct psychological constructs rather than redundant markers of self-criticism.

Convergent Validity

The FSCRS subscales correlate in theoretically expected directions with widely validated psychometric measures:

• Depressive Symptomatology: Inadequate Self and Hated Self show strong positive correlations with depressive severity assessed via the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), with correlation coefficients typically ranging between r = .55 and .70 for Inadequate Self, and r = .45 and .65 for Hated Self. Reassured Self consistently exhibits strong negative correlations with depression (r = -.50 to -.65).
• Shame: Both critical subscales demonstrate strong convergence with external and internal shame measured by the Other as Shamer Scale (OAS) and the Experience of Shame Scale (ESS), with Inadequate Self correlating around r = .60 to .72, and Hated Self demonstrating particularly strong associations with bodily and characterological shame (r = .55 to .68).
• Self-Compassion and Self-Esteem: Reassured Self correlates strongly and positively with the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003), particularly the Self-Kindness (r = .65 to .75) and Common Humanity subscales, as well as the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (r = .60 to .75). Conversely, Inadequate Self and Hated Self exhibit marked negative correlations with self-esteem (r = -.60 to -.78).
• Rumination: The Inadequate Self subscale correlates substantially with depressive rumination measured by the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS; r = .50 to .65), reflecting its cognitive-dwell characteristics (Item 14).

Discriminant and Predictive Validity

Discriminant validity is evidenced by the clear separation between Inadequate Self and Hated Self in predicting severe clinical outcomes. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling studies (e.g., Castilho et al., 2015; Kupeli et al., 2013) demonstrate that while Inadequate Self predicts general dysphoria, performance anxiety, and perfectionistic distress, Hated Self uniquely predicts non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), past suicide attempts, and active suicidal ideation, even after controlling for baseline depression, hopelessness, and general self-criticism. Furthermore, in longitudinal intervention studies of Compassion Focused Therapy and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT), change scores on the Reassured Self subscale uniquely predict recovery from depressive relapses, demonstrating that acquiring self-reassurance provides incremental predictive utility beyond simply decreasing negative thoughts.

Reliability

The FSCRS demonstrates exemplary reliability across clinical, non-clinical, and cross-cultural cohorts, satisfying rigorous psychometric standards for both research and clinical diagnostics.

Internal Consistency

In the seminal validation study by Gilbert et al. (2004), internal consistency estimates (Cronbach’s alpha) were exceptionally high:

• Inadequate Self (9 items): α = .90
• Hated Self (5 items): α = .86
• Reassured Self (8 items): α = .86

Subsequent psychometric replications across diverse worldwide populations have systematically mirrored these findings. In a comprehensive validation of the Portuguese version among clinical and community participants (Castilho et al., 2015; N = 1,023), alpha coefficients were .89 for Inadequate Self, .88 for Hated Self, and .89 for Reassured Self. Similar high reliabilities were documented in French validation studies (α = .87, .82, and .85 respectively; Somma et al., 2019), Turkish community samples (α = .90, .83, and .85; Kupeli et al., 2013), and Swedish adaptations (α = .91, .84, and .87). Modern psychometric evaluations utilizing McDonald’s omega (ω)—which avoids the assumption of tau-equivalence required by Cronbach’s alpha—report composite reliability coefficients consistently surpassing .88 across all three latent dimensions.

Test-Retest Reliability and Temporal Stability

Investigations assessing temporal stability demonstrate that while the FSCRS measures an enduring relational trait, it remains sensitive to psychological change following clinical interventions. In stable non-clinical populations over test-retest intervals of two to four weeks, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Pearson correlation coefficients demonstrate high stability:

• Inadequate Self: r = .78 to .85
• Hated Self: r = .75 to .83
• Reassured Self: r = .79 to .86

Over longer intervals (e.g., 6 months to 1 year) in naturalistic prospective studies, scores remain moderately stable, demonstrating personality-trait-like properties. Crucially, however, in intervention studies involving CFT, cognitive therapy, or mindfulness-based interventions, the subscales exhibit significant sensitivity to treatment effects, evidenced by robust reductions in Inadequate Self and Hated Self alongside substantial, statistically significant increases in Reassured Self.

Factor Analysis

The latent dimensionality of the FSCRS has been subjected to exhaustive exploratory factor analyses (EFA), confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) across dozens of empirical studies.

Initial Exploratory Factor Structure

In the original validation by Gilbert et al. (2004), a principal components analysis with oblimin (oblique) rotation was conducted on the 22 items. The analysis yielded an unambiguous three-factor solution based on Kaiser’s eigenvalue-greater-than-one criterion and Cattell’s scree plot examination. The three factors collectively accounted for a substantial proportion of the total variance (57.8%):

• Factor 1 (Inadequate Self): Accounted for 35.8% of the variance, with item loadings ranging from .48 to .82. Items loaded purely on feelings of failure, disappointment, and personal deficiency (e.g., Item 1, Item 6, Item 14).
• Factor 2 (Reassured Self): Accounted for 13.9% of the variance, with item loadings ranging from .51 to .79. All positively valenced items loaded exclusively on this factor (e.g., Item 3, Item 8, Item 16).
• Factor 3 (Hated Self): Accounted for 8.1% of the variance, with item loadings ranging from .57 to .84. Highly aggressive, disgust-based items loaded specifically here (e.g., Item 9, Item 10, Item 15).

Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Model Comparisons

Subsequent psychometric investigations have subjected the instrument to rigorous confirmatory factor analyses, comparing several competing theoretical models:

1. One-Factor Model: All 22 items loading onto a single general factor of self-relating. This model consistently demonstrates unacceptable fit across all studies (CFI < .70, TLI < .65, RMSEA > .13).
2. Two-Factor Model: Separating all negative items (Self-Criticism) from positive items (Self-Reassurance). While improving upon the one-factor model, fit indices remain poor to mediocre (CFI ≈ .81 – .86, RMSEA ≈ .09 – .11), failing to distinguish personal inadequacy from malicious self-attacking.
3. Three-Factor Correlated Model: The hypothesized three-factor structure comprising Inadequate Self (9 items), Hated Self (5 items), and Reassured Self (8 items). This model repeatedly displays excellent goodness-of-fit indices across both clinical and community cohorts: Comparative Fit Index (CFI) ≥ .94 to .97, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) ≥ .93 to .96, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) ≤ .045 to .060 (with 90% CI [.038, .058]), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) ≤ .048 to .055.
4. Bifactor Models: Recent investigations (e.g., Somma et al., 2019; Halamová et al., 2018) have tested bifactor CFA and ESEM models to examine whether a general “Self-Criticism” factor accounts for the variance between Inadequate Self and Hated Self while retaining their specific subscale variance. While bifactor models yield excellent mathematical fit, statistical metrics such as explained common variance (ECV) and percentage of uncontaminated correlations (PUC) confirm that the specific factors—particularly Reassured Self and Hated Self—retain immense unique reliable variance, reaffirming the practical and theoretical necessity of retaining the classic three-factor scoring structure.

Across these models, standardized factor loadings (λ) for the individual items are consistently robust, rarely falling below .55, with the majority of items loading between .65 and .85 on their designated latent factors.

Instrument / Measurement Tool

The FSCRS is structured as an efficient, self-administered questionnaire. Below is the operational measurement profile of the tool:

• Test Type: Standardized multidimensional self-report psychological rating scale.
• Target Population: Adolescents (aged 14+) and adults across general, student, and psychiatric clinical populations.
• Administration Time: Approximately 4 to 7 minutes.
• Item Count: 22 items presented in a fixed sequence.
• Response Format: 5-point Likert-type scale scored from 0 to 4:
  • 0 = Not at all like me
  • 1 = A little bit like me
  • 2 = Moderately like me
  • 3 = Quite a bit like me
  • 4 = Extremely like me
• Dimensional Structure & Item Breakdown:
  • Inadequate Self (IS): 9 items → Items 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 14, 17, 18, and 20.
  • Hated Self (HS): 5 items → Items 9, 10, 12, 15, and 22.
  • Reassured Self (RS): 8 items → Items 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 16, 19, and 21.
• Scoring Methodology:
  • No items are reverse-coded. Scores for each subscale are obtained by directly summing the numerical responses of the designated items:
  • Inadequate Self Total: Sum of items 1 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 7 + 14 + 17 + 18 + 20 (Theoretical range: 0 to 36).
  • Hated Self Total: Sum of items 9 + 10 + 12 + 15 + 22 (Theoretical range: 0 to 20).
  • Reassured Self Total: Sum of items 3 + 5 + 8 + 11 + 13 + 16 + 19 + 21 (Theoretical range: 0 to 32).
  • Note on Global Scores: Generating a composite or total scale score across all 22 items is psychometrically contraindicated. The authors and psychometric literature explicitly advise against calculating a single composite score because self-reassurance is functionally and biologically distinct from self-criticism, and collapsing Inadequate Self with Hated Self obscures severe clinical risk markers.
• Clinical Interpretation Guidelines:
  • Non-Clinical Norms: In community and student samples, Inadequate Self scores typically average around 14 to 18; Hated Self scores are heavily right-skewed, typically averaging between 1.5 and 4.0; and Reassured Self scores average between 18 and 23.
  • Clinical Thresholds: In psychiatric outpatients and inpatients, Inadequate Self typically exceeds 22, and Reassured Self drops below 12. Crucially, a Hated Self score exceeding 5 or 6 serves as a recognized clinical red flag, indicating significant self-disgust, vulnerability to impulsive self-directed aggression, and marked risk for non-suicidal self-injury or suicidal behavior.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale was published in 2004 by Paul Gilbert, Michele Clark, Sharon Hempel, Jeremy N. V. Miles, and Chris Irons in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Licensing and Accessibility: The FSCRS is an open-access psychometric instrument available free of charge for non-commercial academic research, public health investigations, and routine clinical practice. Paul Gilbert and The Compassionate Mind Foundation have placed the scale in the public domain to foster scientific research into shame, compassion, and affect regulation. Researchers and clinicians do not need to pay royalties or secure formal written permission for standard clinical and non-profit research use, provided that the original 2004 publication is cited accurately in all resultant publications, reports, and presentations.

For commercial applications, pharmaceutical clinical trials, integration into commercial proprietary software, or automated mobile applications, users should contact The Compassionate Mind Foundation or the primary authors to verify licensing terms.

References

• Blatt, S. J., D’Afflitti, J. P., & Quinlan, D. M. (1976). Experiences of depression in normal young adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85(4), 383–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.85.4.383
• Castilho, P., Pinto-Gouveia, J., & Duarte, J. (2015). Evaluating the multifactor structure of the Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale in clinical and non-clinical populations. Assessment, 22(5), 627–639. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191114553809
• Gilbert, P. (2000). The relationship of shame, social anxiety and depression: The role of the evaluation of social rank. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 7(3), 174–189. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.107.005264
• Gilbert, P., Clarke, M., Hempel, S., Miles, J. N. V., & Irons, C. (2004). Criticising and reassuring oneself: An exploration of forms, styles and reasons in female students. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43(1), 31–50. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466504772812959
• Halamová, J., Kanovský, M., & Pacúchová, M. (2018). The Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale: Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Slovak translation. Ceskoslovenska Psychologie, 62(1), 74–88.
• Kupeli, N., Chater, N., & Chilcot, J. (2013). Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale in a Turkish community sample. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 37(6), 1186–1197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9562-4
• 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
• Somma, A., Borroni, S., Gilbert, P., & Fossati, A. (2019). Psychometric properties of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) in Italian clinical and nonclinical samples. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(4), 415–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12224

13. Items of the Scale (Questionnaire)