Measures of other concepts that are related to humility

Introduction

The notion of a quiet ego encompasses many of the features that epitomise humility.  Thus, research into the features, causes, and consequences of a quiet ego should uncover key insights around humility and narcissism. Individuals who experience a quiet ego demonstrate four qualities (Bauer & Wayment, 2008): 

• First, when individuals experience a quiet ego, they can observe themselves from the perspective of someone else, objectively and fairly, called detached awareness. 
• Second, perhaps because they can observe themselves objectively, they are not as inclined to perceive themselves as special, but instead feel a sense of belonging or affiliation with all humans, called inclusive identity.
• Third, perhaps because of this sense of affiliation with all humans, they are more inclined to consider, rather than dismiss, the perspective of other individuals, fostering compassion.
• Fourth, perhaps because they learn from the perspective of other people, they strive to develop and to learn from their experiences rather than demonstrate their capabilities, called growth-mindedness.

Measures

To measure a quiet ego, participants complete measures of these four qualities.  Specifically, to develop this measure, Wayment et al. (2015) first administered a questionnaire to over 300 psychology students at an American university.  The questionnaire included measures that may be relevant to the notion of a quiet rather than defensive ego, including

• mindfulness,
• allo-inclusive identity—or feeling of interconnectedness with other people and the natural world more broadly,
• meaning in life and psychological wellbeing,
• humility and wisdom,
• self-compassion, self-esteem, and self-determination
• generativity—or how the behaviours of individuals contribute to future goals, productivity, and advancement,
• personal growth initiative—or the motivation to grow as a person

Next, the researchers conducted a series of factor analyses to identify clusters of items that may correspond to the four facets of a quiet ego: detached awareness, inclusive identity, perspective taking, and growth-mindedness.   Three items, primarily derived from a measure of mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003), assessed detached awareness including

• I find myself doing things without paying much attention [reverse-coded]
• I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what I’m doing [reverse-coded]
• I rush through activities without being really attentive to them [reverse-coded]

Similarly, three items, mainly derived from a measure of allo-inclusive identity (Leary et al. 2008), gauged inclusive identity, comprising questions that indicate, using overlapping circles, the degree to which they feel

• a connection between you and all living things
• a connection between you and a stranger on a bus
• a connection between you and a person of another race

Furthermore, four items, largely derived from the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Scale (Davis, 1983), measured perspective taking:

• Before criticising somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their place.
• When I’m upset at someone, I usually try to put myself in his or her shoes for a while.
• I try to look at everybody’s side of a disagreement before I make a decision.
• I sometimes find it difficult to see things from another person’s point of view [Reverse-scored]

Finally, five items, derived from the personal growth subscale of the psychological well-being scale (Ryff, 1989), assessed growth:

• For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth.
• I have the sense that I have developed a lot as a person over time.
• I think it is important to have new experiences that challenge how you think about yourself and the world.
• When I think about it, I haven’t really improved much as a person over the years [Reverse-scored].
• For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth.

As evidence of validity, Wayment et al. (2015) showed, in two subsequent research studies, that a quiet ego, as gauged by these four facets, was

• positively associated with agreeableness, openness to experience, the inclination to reframe adverse events positively,
• positively associated with the degree to which individuals feel their basic needs, such as the need to experience autonomy, strong relationships, and competence, are fulfilled,
• positively associated with measures of resilience, coping, authenticity, mindfulness, and life satisfaction,
• negatively associated with feelings of hostility, anger, aggression, and entitlement.

This quiet ego scale has been validated in other settings and nations.  For example, Bernabei et al. (2024) validated this scale at an Italian university, in which the participants were 160 university students, ranging in age from 20 to 42.  The study revealed that a quiet ego was positively associated with measures of resilience, happiness, and psychological wellbeing.

According to Tangney (2000), people who are humble recognise they are merely one constituent in a larger universe.  That is, humble individuals do not orient their attention only towards their personal needs and concerns but instead are more sensitive and connected to other people, other generations, other species, and the universe in general, sometimes called self-transcendence.  This self-transcendence can be regarded as a state of mind, a trait, a capacity that individuals can develop over time, a goal, or a worldview (Wong, 2016)—and may entail mindfulness, flow, awe, mystical experiences, and other states (Yaden et al., 2017).

Developmental models

Some researchers have even developed measures that gauge this self-transcendence.  For example, Levenson et al. (2005) developed and validated the adult self-transcendence inventory.  This inventory adopts a developmental perspective to characterise the degree to which individuals have become more self-transcendent, and less concerned about their personal needs, over time.  This measure comprises 15 items.  As factor analysis revealed, ten of the items correspond to a sub-scale called self-transcendence:

• My peace of mind is not so easily upset as it used to be.
• I do not become angry as easily.
• Material things mean less to me.
• My sense of self is less dependent on other people and things.
• I feel much more compassionate, even toward my enemies.
• I am more likely to engage in quiet contemplation.
• I feel that my individual life is a part of a greater whole.
• I feel a greater sense of belonging with both earlier and future generations.
• I have become less concerned about other people’s opinions of me.
• I find more joy in life

Five of the items measure a separate tendency called alienation—a sense of detachment or disengagement from the universe—including

• I feel more isolated and lonely.
• I feel that my life has less meaning.
• I am less optimistic about the future of humanity.
• My sense of self has decreased as I have gotten older.
• I am less interested in seeking out social contact.

As evidence of validity, meditation practice was positively associated with self-transcendence and inversely associated with alienation.  Other research has also validated this instrument.  For example, Lee et al. (2015) showed that both factors—self-transcendence and alienation—are observed in both the US and Korea. 

Aging

Some measures of self-transcendence were derived from the experiences of individuals as they age.  For instance,  Reed (1986), while employed at the University of Arizona, developed one of the first measures of self-transcendence, sometimes called the self-transcendence scale.  The measure was derived from insights about the importance of self-transcendence to mental health, especially later in life.  That is, as people age, rather than pursue only goals that relate to themselves—such as identity, reputation, and belonging—these individuals gravitate to values that transcend their personal needs.  They may, for example, strive to share wisdom and seek meaning,  (Haugan, 2012; Reed, 1986; Reed, 2008).  Specifically, this self-transcendence comprises four distinct facets (Reed, 1992):

• the capacity of individuals to develop stronger affiliations with other people and the environment, referred to as the expansion of interpersonal boundaries,
• greater awareness of individuals to their personal values, worldviews, and aspirations, referred to as the expansion of intrapersonal boundaries,
• the capacity of individuals to connect to dimensions that transcend the tangible world, such as spiritual experiences, referred to as the expansion of transpersonal boundaries, and
• the ability of individuals to integrate their past, present, and future lives to generate a meaningful narrative, referred to as the expansion of temporal boundaries.

This self-transcendence is regarded as a resource that individuals can utilise to cope with the challenges they experience, especially as they age.  The self-transcendence scale, distilled from a broader measure of resources that older adults can utilise, comprises 15 items.  Each item begins with the stem “At this time of my life, I see myself as…” and then specifies a resource such as

• having hobbies and interests I can enjoy,
• accepting myself as I grow older,
• being involved with other people or my community when possible,
• adjusting well to my present life situation,
• adjusting well to changes in my physical abilities
• sharing my wisdom and experience with others,
• finding meaning in my past experience,
• helping others in some way,
• having ongoing interest in learning,
• able to move beyond things that once seemed so important,
• accepting death as a part of life,
• finding meaning in my spiritual beliefs,
• letting others help me when I may need it,
• enjoying my pace of life,
• letting go of my past losses.

According to subsequent research, these items can be divided into either two or four distinct factors or facets (Haugan, 2012).  The first factor primarily relates to expansion of interpersonal boundaries, such as “being involved with other people or my community when possible”.  A second factor primarily relates to intrapersonal boundaries, such as “finding meaning in my past experience”.  The other two factors are not as compelling and comprise fewer items.

ACT and DBT

Some measures of self-transcendence are applicable to specific therapeutic modalities. For example, one instrument was developed to gauge the various facets of self-transcendence that proponents of acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, or similar modalities advocate (Fishbein et al. (2022). Specifically, to experience self-transcendence—a state in which people can separate themselves from their emotional experiences—these individuals may

• cultivate a sense of distance between themselves and the issue of concern, such as a personal challenge or conflict,
• instil the belief that a facet of themselves that observes their behaviour is always present,
• experience a fundamental connection to all beings, called inter-transience.

The ensuing sense of self-transcendence diminishes the impact of unpleasant events, thoughts, or feelings on the experience of people, enabling these individuals to be flexible and resilient. 

Fishbein et al. (2022) designed and validated a scale that measures these facets of self-transcendence.  The scale comprises three sub-scales:

• distancing, such as “I can observe experiences in my body and mind as events that come and go”,
• observing self, such as “I see a connection between who I am at all places and times”,
• inter-transience, such as “I feel connected even to people I do not know”.

As evidence of validity, Fishbein et al. (2022) also revealed that

• all three subscales were inversely associated with a measure generalised anxiety disorder, indicating that self-transcendence may override feelings of anxiety,
• all three subscales were positively associated with a sense of meaning in life.

Other approaches to measure self-transcendence

Besides questionnaires, researchers have utilised a range of other approaches to measure self-transcendence.  As one review, published by Kitson et al. (2020) uncovered, these approaches include

• proxy measures, such as the degree to which time feels slower than usual (Rudd et al., 2012),
• physiological measures—such as measures of goosebumps or piloerection to assess feelings of awe (Benedek et al., 2010) or facial EMG to gauge other self-transcendent emotions (Clayton et al., 2021).