Differentiation of Self Assessment C-DSIfree self-assessment

C-DSI40 itemsAbout 8 minutes

This questionnaire is for self-understanding and reference only and cannot be used to make a clinical diagnosis.

About this assessment

Differentiation of self is a core concept in Bowen Family Systems Theory. It is not simply about how independent you are. It asks whether, when relationships become tense and emotions become strong, you can still know what you think, what you feel, and what you genuinely want to do. Greater differentiation does not mean having no emotions or needing nobody. It means being more able to stay connected while also keeping your own position and boundaries. The DSI-R is one of the most widely used measures of this concept. Professor Cecilia Chan Ching-man at CUHK validated a Chinese version in 2015, and Hong Kong research also suggests that the role of family in Chinese culture produces patterns that are not identical to those found in Western samples. The most useful part of this questionnaire is therefore not giving yourself a high or low label, but noticing how you tend to respond to relationship tension.

What does it look at?

The questionnaire looks at five dimensions of relationship functioning. Emotional reactivity reflects how easily emotion takes over under stress. I-position reflects how clearly and calmly you can express your own views and boundaries. Emotional cutoff looks at whether you use distance to reduce relationship anxiety. Fusion with others looks at how strongly your decisions depend on other people's approval. Fusion with family looks at how much parents' and family expectations shape your choices. Each dimension is scored separately, and an overall average is also calculated.

This assessment may suit you if...

In close relationships, you often feel that you either accommodate so much that you lose yourself or want to pull away completely.
You want to understand how patterns from your family of origin may still shape your relationships today.
You are already in individual, family, or couple counselling and want another way to understand your relationship patterns.

Learn more

How long does it take?

About eight to ten minutes, with 40 items in total.

What score is considered good?

There is no clinical good or bad cut-off. Differentiation is a continuous concept, and the same person may function differently across relationships. The results page includes averages from Hong Kong research for reference, but the most useful information is usually not how you compare with other people. It is the pattern of which of the five dimensions are relatively higher or lower for you.

Is a low 'fusion with family' score bad?

Not necessarily. Hong Kong research found that the general local average on this dimension was already lower than on some other dimensions, which researchers linked with the importance of family in Chinese culture. The more useful question is not how much you care about family, but whether family expectations make it difficult to know or express your own position on important matters.

References

Skowron, E. A., & Friedlander, M. L. (1998). The Differentiation of Self Inventory: Development and initial validation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45(3), 235–246.
Skowron, E. A., & Schmitt, T. A. (2003). Assessing interpersonal fusion: Reliability and validity of a new DSI Fusion with Others subscale. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29(2), 209–222.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2003.tb01201.x
Hong Kong study
Lam, C. M., & Chan-So, P. C. Y. (2015). Validation of the Chinese version of Differentiation of Self Inventory (C-DSI). Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 41(1), 86–101.https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12031

A quick tip

There are no right or wrong answers. Choose the response that best reflects how you genuinely feel.