Intrasexual Competition Test (ICS)

Based on research by Buunk and Fisher, and on the psychometric evaluation by Albert and colleagues in 2022, the Intrasexual Competition Scale examines how people respond to comparison with peers of the same gender. The topic is narrower than general competitiveness: it focuses on the emotional meaning attached to another person's relative attractiveness, popularity, achievement, or social standing. A person can be ambitious without being highly intrasexually competitive, and can also feel rivalry in situations that have no formal winner.

The first facet, Rivalry Distress, describes the uncomfortable side of comparison. People higher in this facet may feel tense, frustrated, threatened, or discouraged when a same-gender peer receives attention, appears more attractive, advances faster, or is praised for an achievement. The reaction does not require open hostility. It can show up as a quick drop in mood, a wish to find flaws in the other person, or an urge to restore a sense of relative standing. Lower scores suggest that peers' advantages create less personal disturbance.

The second facet, Rivalry Pride, describes the rewarding side of coming out ahead. People higher in this facet may enjoy being noticed, preferred, admired, or recognized as more capable than same-gender peers. They may take satisfaction in winning a comparison or being just a little better than someone nearby. This is not the same as healthy confidence or mastery for its own sake: the distinctive feature is that the comparison itself adds emotional value. Lower scores suggest less interest in status victories over peers.

The two facets often coexist. Someone can dislike feeling outdone and also enjoy being the person who receives the advantage. Someone else may be highly motivated in work or sport but feel little emotional investment in same-gender comparisons. Looking at the facets separately helps distinguish a defensive sensitivity to other people's advantages from an approach-oriented enjoyment of one's own relative success. The Total Rivalry score is the plain mean of the two facet scores and gives a broad summary of how much these comparison dynamics matter to you.

Albert et al. (2022) compared alternative factor structures for the 12-item Intrasexual Competition Scale and reported strongest support for the two-factor interpretation represented here. Their analyses also reported a high degree of measurement invariance between the sexes and evidence of concurrent validity through associations with sociosexuality, mating effort, and sexual behavior. Those findings support treating the scale as a structured research measure, while they do not turn an individual online result into a diagnosis or a prediction about relationships.

Your chart includes estimated reference markers to make the scores easier to interpret. These are broad comparison estimates, not validated population percentiles, and they should not be read as precise rankings. Cultural context, age, identity, relationship experience, and the people around you can all shape how comparison feels. This assessment uses original wording based on the published constructs rather than reproducing the source items. It is intended for education and self-reflection, not clinical evaluation, and high scores do not prove insecurity, narcissism, aggression, or romantic success.

References

• Albert, G., Richardson, G. B., Arnocky, S., Bird, B. M., Fisher, M., Hlay, J. K., McHale, T. S., & Hodges-Simeon, C. R. (2022). A Psychometric Evaluation of the Intrasexual Competition Scale. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(6), 2741–2758. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02167-6