Translate Deenz Inferiority Complex Scale (DICS)

Deenz Inferiority Complex Scale (DICS)

Deenz Inferiority Complex Scale (DICS) is a short self-report tool built to capture something many people feel but rarely name clearly: the quiet sense that you don't quite measure up. Across 21 statements, it looks at how this shows up in everyday life — through self-doubt, constant comparison, anxiety around being evaluated, and discomfort with your own worth. The scale breaks this down into four dimensions: Performance Doubt, Social Comparison, Evaluation Anxiety, and Self-Doubt. Looking at these separately, rather than as one vague feeling, makes it easier to see where your own patterns actually come from and how they play out at work, in relationships, and in the way you see yourself.

You'll be given 21 short statements describing everyday situations — the kind most people run into regularly. For each one, rate how much it sounds like you, using a simple 5-point scale (1 = Not at all like me, to 5 = Very much like me). You can take it on your own or in a group, on paper or online. There's no clock running, and most people get through it in about 5 to 10 minutes.

This scale is meant for teens and adults. It's a quick way to get a read on everyday self-doubt, how much you compare yourself to others, and how you handle being evaluated. It works well for research, teaching, or simply understanding yourself better — but it isn't built to diagnose anything clinically.

There are 21 items in total, each rated on a 5-point scale (1 = Strongly Disagree through 5 = Strongly Agree). One item — number 16 — is reverse-scored, since it's worded in the opposite direction of the others.
The items split into four groups:
Performance Doubt: items 2, 3, 7, 11, 19 (raw score range 5–25)
Social Comparison: items 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 (raw score range 8–40)
Evaluation Anxiety: items 13, 14, 15, 16 (raw score range 4–20)
Self-Doubt: items 17, 18, 20, 21 (raw score range 4–20)
Your overall score is just the sum of all 21 processed items, giving a total somewhere between 21 and 105. To make comparisons easier, each dimension score is also converted onto a standardized 0–100 scale.

Speaking in a group, I feel others would do better.

Starting something new, I feel unsure.

Given responsibility, I doubt myself.

In competition, I expect others to do better.

Learning something new, I feel slower than others.

Competing with peers, I feel less capable.

Taking the lead, I feel unsure.

Seeing skilled people makes me feel discouraged.

I feel behind others my age.

In a group, I think others are more capable.

Thinking about my future, I feel uncertain.

Others’ success makes me question myself.

Being judged makes me uneasy.

Being noticed makes me uncomfortable.

Asked publicly, I hesitate.

I stay focused on tasks even when others are paying attention.

Praise feels undeserved.

My ideas feel not good enough.

Mistakes feel like lack of ability.

Compliments make me doubt.

I focus on what I lack.