Patterns of extreme responses to items in self-esteem scales: Does conceptualisation and item content matter?

•Self-esteem (SE) scales reflect different degree of self-presentational features.•Extreme responding in global and basic SE scales was compared.•Global SE is plagued more by extreme response-set than basic SE.•Rejecting negative item content explains global but not basic SE scores.•Without due care, artifactual responses can inflate measures of self-esteem.

Self-esteem (SE) scales are particularly susceptible for various response-sets. Systematic response alterations, often mirroring self-presentational item characteristics, can be triggered differentially depending on the content of items in a scale. The present study examined extreme responding to items in the global SE scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and the basic SE scale (Forsman & Johnson, 1996). The results showed that global SE scores were determined to a higher extent by extreme responses, in particular rejecting negative item content, than basic self-esteem scores. The implications of self-presentation contra self-esteem for an asymmetry in response patterns between the two scales are discussed.