Inheritance and Development of Self-Love: A Measurement Based on Chinese Adults.

Self-love is a fundamental psychological construct cultivated throughout human history. In Confucian culture, it is considered the ultimate Ren, while in ancient Greek thought, it serves as the center from which love radiates. Previous qualitative research identified five dimensions of self-love, but these lacked quantitative validation. This study developed the Chinese Adult Self-Love Scale (SLS) based on prior qualitative findings, constructing an initial item bank of 90 statements. The first study assessed the item relevance and clarity, resulting in a preliminary 68-item scale. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of 456 participants refined it to a 22-item scale with five indicators. The second study, with 929 participants, examined its reliability and validity. Cronbach's α exceeded 0.75, and the test-retest reliability after six weeks was 0.66. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the scale's validity (CFI = 0.91, TFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.048). This study highlights self-love's inheritance and development among Chinese adults, as well as its cross-cultural commonalities. It provides a valid, reliable tool for measuring self-love and offers a theoretical foundation for future cross-cultural research. While limitations exist, the findings suggest promising directions for further exploration.