The Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire

As an alternative model of private self-consciousness, Trapnell and Campbell (1999) proposed a distinction between rumination and reflection. Both rumination and reflection involve heightened attention to self, but they differ in the motive behind the attention. Rumination is "self-attentiveness motivated by perceived threats, losses, or injustices to the self"; reflection is "self-attentiveness motivated by curiosity or epistemic interest in the self" (Trapnell & Campbell, 1999, p. 297).

Teasdale and Green (2004) recently found that the effect of rumination on autobiographical memory was entirely explained by neuroticism. This raises concerns about rumination's incremental validity. In my research, neither rumination nor reflection predicted self-focused attention (Silvia, Eichstaedt, & Phillips, 2005). The construct validity of rumination and reflection as types of "self-attentiveness" deserves more attention.

You can get a PDF version of the scale here.

Reference for this scale:

Trapnell, P. D., & Campbell, J. D. (1999). Private self-consciousness and the five-factor model of personality: Distinguishing rumination from reflection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 284–304.

Some papers that used this scale:

Joireman, J. A. (2004). Empathy and the self-absorption paradox II: Self-rumination and self-reflection as mediators between shame, guilt, and empathy. Self and Identity, 3, 225–238.

Joireman, J. A., Parrott, L., III., & Hammersla, J. (2002). Empathy and the self-absorption paradox: Support for the distinction between self-rumination and self-reflection. Self and Identity, 1, 53–65.

Silvia, P. J., Eichstaedt, J., & Phillips, A. G. (2005). Are rumination and reflection types of self-focused attention? Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 871-881.

Teasdale, J. D., & Green, H. A. C. (2004). Ruminative self-focus and autobiographical memory. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 1933-1943.

 

P. Silvia, UNCG
Last Updated: January 20, 2005