Employee Perceived Social-Emotional Competence (PSEC) Scale

The Employee Perceived Social-Emotional Competence (PSEC) Scale measures how capable people feel in their social and emotional interactions at work. Rather than assessing social-emotional skills directly, it captures confidence in using those skills — a distinction grounded in motivation theory, where perceived competence drives growth and behaviour.

The scale covers five dimensions: assertiveness, tolerance, social regulation, emotion regulation, and emotional awareness. These map onto major social-emotional skill frameworks such as CASEL and the OECD's, while shifting emphasis from demonstrated skill to perceived capability, allowing the instrument to illuminate the motivational processes underlying social-emotional functioning.

This record contains three forms: a full 20-item scale, a 5-item short form, and a 5-item short time-specific form for use when respondents should consider a defined recent period. All items are rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

Freely available for research use under CC BY 4.0. Please cite the concept DOI.