1.

Scales of Psychological Wellbeing

The Scales of Psychological Wellbeing inventory is 18 items and consist of
a series of statements reflecting the six areas of psychological well-being:
autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations
with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Respondents rate
statements on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 indicating strong disagreement and 6
indicating strong agreement.
Key Reference: Ryff, C.D., & Singer, B. (1998). The contours of positive
human health. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 1-28.

Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

1 = Strongly disagree
2 = Somewhat disagree
3 = A little disagree
4 = Don't know
5 = A little agree
6 = Somewhat agree
7 = Strongly agree

1. I like most parts of my personality. ________

2. When I look at the story of my life, I am pleased with how things have ________
turned out so far.
3. Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them. ________
4. The demands of everyday life often get me down. ________
5. In many ways I feel disappointed about my achievements in life. ________
6. Maintaining close relationships has been difficult and frustrating for me. ________
7. I live life one day at a time and don't really think about the future. ________
8. In general, I feel I am in charge of the situation in which I live. ________
9. I am good at managing the responsibilities of daily life. ________
10. I sometimes feel as if I've done all there is to do in life. ________
11. For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and ________
growth.
12. I think it is important to have new experiences that challenge how I ________
think about myself and the world.
13. People would describe me as a giving person, willing to share my time ________
with others.
14. I gave up trying to make big improvements or changes in my life a ________
long time ago.
15. I tend to be influenced by people with strong opinions. ________
16. I have not experienced many warm and trusting relationships with ________
others.
17. I have confidence in my own opinions, even if they are different from ________
the way most other people think.
18. I judge myself by what I think is important, not by the values of what ________
others think is important.
2. The Happiness Measures
The Happiness Measures (HM) (Fordyce, 1988), also known as the
Fordyce Emotion Questionnaire, is a measure of emotional wellbeing that
provides an indication of a person‟s perceived happiness
The HM consists of two questions on happiness. The first item measures
happiness on a „happiness/unhappiness scale‟. Respondents choose from 11
descriptive phrases on a 0 to 10 scale. These descriptors range from (0)
„extremely unhappy‟, to (5) „neutral‟, to (10) „extremely happy‟, and measure
perceived quality of general happiness. The second item is an estimate of the
percentages of time respondents feel happy, unhappy, and neutral.
With both items, the HM assesses both intensity and frequency of affect;
the first question measuring intensity, and the second item‟s percentage
estimates measuring frequency.
Fordyce commented that “it would be safe to classify the HM as the most
thoroughly analyzed wellbeing measure developed in the field” (1988, p. 81),
including over 1,500 administrations, and that it is “considered by some to be
the „granddaddy‟ of them all [of happiness measures]” (1988, p. 65). Fordyce
further noted that “from the collected data, it would appear that the Happiness
Measures demonstrates strong reliability; remarkable stability; relative
freedom from response, sex, age, and race bias; and an exceptionally wide
background of evidence supporting it‟s convergent, construct, concurrent, and
discriminative validity” (1988, p. 81-82). Diener reviewed 20 happiness and
wellbeing instruments and concluded that the HM, in comparison to other
measures of wellbeing, has the strongest correlations with daily affect and life
satisfaction (1984), and is a reliable and valid test that “should receive more
widespread use” (1984, p. 549).
The HM takes approximately 2 minutes to complete.
Key Reference: Fordyce, M. W. (1988). A review of research on The
Happiness Measures: A sixty second index of happiness and mental health.
Social Indicators Research, 20, 63-89.
More Information: http://www.gethappy.net (the key 1988 articles is
available on this website as well)
The Happiness Measures
3. Gratitude Questionnaire
The Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) is a short, self-report measure of the
disposition to experience gratitude.
Participants answer 6 items on a 1 to 7 scale (1 = "strongly disagree", 7 =
"strongly agree"). Two items are reverse-scored to inhibit response bias.
The GQ-6 has good internal reliability, with alphas between .82 and .87,
and there is evidence that the GQ-6 is positively related to optimism, life
satisfaction, hope, spirituality, forgiveness, empathy and prosocial
behaviour, and negatively related to depression, anxiety, materialism and
envy.
The GQ-6 takes about 2 minutes to complete.
Key Reference: McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002).
The Grateful Disposition: A conceptual and Empirical Topography. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112-127.
More Information:
http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/gratitude/2-
Page%20Blurb%20on%20the%20Gratitude%20Questionnaire.pdf
4. Scale of Positive and Negative
Experience (SPANE)
The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) consists of a 12-
item questionnaire which includes six items to assess positive feelings and
six items to assess negative feelings. For both the positive and negative items,
three of the items are general (e.g., positive, negative) and three per subscale
are more specific (e.g., joyful, sad).
Permission for using the Scales: “Although copyrighted, the SPANE and
Flourishing Scale may be used as long as proper credit is given. Permission is
not needed to employ the scales and requests to use the scales will not be
answered on an individual basis because permission is granted here. This
article (ref below) should be used as the citation for the scales, and this note
provides evidence that permission to use the scales is granted”.
Positive Feelings (SPANE-P): Add the scores, varying from 1 to 5, for the
six items: positive, good, pleasant, happy, joyful, and contented. The
score can vary from 6 (lowest possible) to 30 (highest positive feelings score).
Negative Feelings (SPANE-N): Add the scores, varying from 1 to 5, for the
six items: negative, bad, unpleasant, sad, afraid, and angry. The score can
vary from 6 (lowest possible) to 30 (highest negative feelings score).
Affect Balance (SPANE-B): The negative feelings score is subtracted from
the positive feelings score, and the resultant difference score can vary from -
24 (unhappiest possible) to 24 (highest affect balance possible). A respondent
with a very high score of 24 reports that she or he rarely or never experiences
any of the negative feelings, and very often or always has all of the positive
feelings.
KeyReference: Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, DW.,
Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). New well-being measures: Short scales
to assess flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicator
Research, 97, 143-156.

Please think about what you have been doing and experiencing during the
past four weeks. Then report how much you experienced each of the
following feelings, using the scale below. For each item, select a number
from 1 to 5, and indicate that number on your response sheet.

1 = Very Rarely or Never

2 = Rarely
3 = Sometimes
4 = Often
5 = Very Often or Always

Positive_________ Negative _________ Good _________ Bad _________

Pleasant _________ Unpleasant _________ Happy _________
Sad _________ Afraid _________ Joyful _________ Angry _________
Contented _________
5. Grit Scale
Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals.
Key Reference: Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly,
D.R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1087-1101.

Please respond to the following 17 items. Be honest – there are no right or

wrong answers!

5 = Very much like me

4 = Mostly like me
3 = Somewhat like me
2 = Not much like me
1 = Not like me at all

1. I aim to be the best in the world at what I do. ________

2. I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important ________
challenge.
3. New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from ________
previous ones.
4. I am ambitious. ________
5. My interests change from year to year. ________
6. Setbacks don‟t discourage me. ________
7. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a ________
short time but later
lost interest. ________
8. I am a hard worker. ________
9. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one. ________
10. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take ________
more than a few months to complete.
11. I finish whatever I begin. ________
12. Achieving something of lasting importance is the highest ________
goal in life. 13. I think achievement is overrated.
14. I have achieved a goal that took years of work. ________
15. I am driven to succeed. ________
16. I become interested in new pursuits every few months. ________
17. I am diligent. ________
6. Subjective Vitality Scale
The concept of subjective vitality refers to the state of feeling alive and
alert - to having energy available to the self. Vitality is considered an aspect
of eudaimonic well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2001), as being vital and energetic is
part of what it means to be fully functioning and psychologically well.
The original scale had 7 items and was validated at both levels by Ryan
and Frederick (1997). Subsequent work by Bostic, Rubio, and Hood (2000)
using confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a 6-item version worked
even better than the 7-item version (i.e., without item 2).
Key Reference: Ryan, R. M., & Frederick, C. M. (1997). On energy,
personality and health: Subjective vitality as a dynamic reflection of well-being.
Journal of Personality, 65, 529-565.

Please rate the follow items in regard to how they "apply to you and your
life at the present time."

Not at all true Somewhat true Very true

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. I feel alive and vital ______

2. Sometimes I feel so alive I just want to burst ______
3. I have energy and spirit ______
4. I look forward to each new day ______
5. I nearly always feel alert and awake ______
6. I feel energized ______
7.1. Mindfulness Attention Awareness
Scale (MAAS)
 Mindfulness is an open or receptive awareness of and attention to what
is taking place in the present. The construct has been operationalized in
dispositional terms by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), a 15-
item self-report instrument with a single factor. The scale has been validated
in college, working adult, and cancer patient populations. A description of the
scale and its validation can be found in Brown and Ryan (2003). The scale is
shown below, followed by information about scoring.
 Key Reference: Brown, K.W. and Ryan, R.M. (2003). The benefits of
being present: The role of mindfulness in psychological well-being. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848.

Below is a collection of statements about your everyday experience. Using the 1-

6 scale below, please indicate how frequently or infrequently you currently have
each experience. Please answer according to what really reflects your
experience rather than what you think your experience should be. Please treat
each item separately from every other item.

1 2 3 4 5 6
Almost Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Almost
Always Frequently Frequently Infrequently Infrequently Never

I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of

it until some time later.
I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying
attention, or thinking of something else.
I find it difficult to stay focused on what‟s happening in the
present.
I tend to walk quickly to get where I‟m going without paying attention to
what I experience along the way.
I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they
really grab my attention.
I forget a person‟s name almost as soon as I‟ve been told it for the first
time.
It seems I am “running on automatic,” without much awareness of what
I‟m doing.
I rush through activities without being really attentive to them.
I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with
what I‟m doing right now to get there.
I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what
I'mdoing.
I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing
something else at the same time.
I drive places on „automatic pilot‟ and then wonder why I went
there.
I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past.
I find myself doing things without paying attention.
I snack without being aware that I‟m eating.
7.2 Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness
Skills (KIMS)
 The KIMS is a 39-item self-report inventory that is used for the assessment
of mindfulness skills. Mindfulness is generally defined to include focusing
one‟s attention in a nonjudgmental or accepting the experience occurring
in the present moment (Baer et al., 2004). The KIMS is used to assess 4
mindfulness skills:
 Observing: mindfulness involves observing, noticing or attending to
various stimuli including internal phenomena (cognitions, bodily
sensations) and external phenomena (sounds, smells). Items: 1, 5, 9, 13,
17, 21, 25, 29, 30, 33, 37, 39.
 Describing: involves participant describing, labelling, or noting of
observed phenomena by applying words in a nonjudgmental way. Items:
2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 34.
 Acting with awareness: being attentive and engaging fully in one’s
current activity. Items: 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 38.
 Accepting (or allowing) without judgment: to allow reality or what is
there, to be as it is without judging, avoiding, changing, or escaping it.
Items: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36.
 Key Reference: Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T. & Allen, K. B. (2004). Assessment
of mindfulness by self-report: The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills.
Assessment, 11(3), 191-206.
Please rate each of the following statements using the scale provided. Write the
number in the blank that best describes your own opinion of what is generally true
for you.

1 2 3 4 5
Never or very Sometimes
Rarely true Often true Very often
rarely true true

1. I notice changes in my body, such as whether my breathing slows down or speeds

up.
2. I‟m good at finding the words to describe my feelings.
3. When I do things, my mind wanders off and I‟m easily distracted.
4. I criticize myself for having irrational or inappropriate emotions.
5. I pay attention to whether my muscles are tense or relaxed.
6. I can easily put my beliefs, opinions, and expectations into words.
7. When I‟m doing something, I‟m only focused on what I‟m doing, nothing else.
8. I tend to evaluate whether my perceptions are right or wrong.
9. When I‟m walking, I deliberately notice the sensations of my body moving.
10. I‟m good at thinking of words to express my perceptions, such as how things taste,
smell, or sound.
11. I drive on “automatic pilot” without paying attention to what I‟m doing.
12. I tell myself that I shouldn‟t be feeling the way I‟m feeling.
13. When I take a shower or bath, I stay alert to the sensations of water on my body.
14. It‟s hard for me to find the words to describe what I‟m thinking
15. When I‟m reading, I focus all my attention on what I‟m reading.
16. I believe some of my thoughts are abnormal or bad and I shouldn‟t think that way.
17. I notice how foods and drinks affect my thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions.
18. I have trouble thinking of the right words to express how I feel about things.
19. When I do things, I get totally wrapped up in them and don‟t think about anything
else.
20. I make judgments about whether my thoughts are good or bad.
21. I pay attention to sensations, such as the wind in my hair or sun on my face.
22. When I have a sensation in my body, it‟s difficult for me to describe it because I can‟t
find the right words.
23. I don‟t pay attention to what I‟m doing because I‟m daydreaming, worrying, or
otherwise distracted.
24. I tend to make judgments about how worthwhile or worthless my experiences are.
25. I pay attention to sounds, such as clocks ticking, birds chirping, or cars passing.
26. Even when I‟m feeling terribly upset, I can find a way to put it into words.
27. When I‟m doing chores, such as cleaning or laundry, I tend to daydream or think of
other things.
28. I tell myself that I shouldn‟t be thinking the way I‟m thinking.
29. I notice the smells and aromas of things.
30. I intentionally stay aware of my feelings.
31. I tend to do several things at once rather than focusing on one thing at a time.
32. I think some of my emotions are bad or inappropriate and I shouldn‟t feel them.
33. I notice visual elements in art or nature, such as colors, shapes, textures, or patterns
of light and shadow.
34. My natural tendency is to put my experiences into words.
35. When I‟m working on something, part of m mind is occupied with other topics, such
as what I‟ll be doing later, or things I‟d rather be doing.
36. I disapprove of myself when I have irrational ideas.
37. I pay attention to how my emotions affect my thoughts and behavior.
38. I get completely absorbed in what I‟m doing, so that all my attention is focused on it.
39. I notice when my moods begin to change.
8. Perceived Stress Scale
 The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is the most widely used psychological
instrument for measuring the perception of stress. It is a measure of the
degree to which situations in one‟s life are appraised as stressful. Items were
designed to tap how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded
respondents find their lives. The scale also includes a number of direct
queries about current levels of experienced stress. The PSS was designed for
use in community samples with at least a junior high school education. The
items are easy to understand, and the response alternatives are simple to
grasp. Moreover, the questions are of a general nature and hence are
relatively free of content specific to any subpopulation group. The questions in
the PSS ask about feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case,
respondents are asked how often they felt a certain way.
 Higher PSS scores were associated with (for example): failure to quit
smoking, failure among diabetics to control blood sugar levels, greater
vulnerability to stressful life-event-elicited depressive symptoms, more colds
 Key Reference: Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., and Mermelstein, R. (1983). A
global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior,
24, 386-396.

The questions in this scale ask you about your feelings and thoughts during the
last month. In each case, you will be asked to indicate by circling how often you
felt or thought a certain way.

0 = Never 1 = Almost Never 2 = Sometimes 3 = Fairly Often

4 = Very Often

1. In the last month, how often have you been upset
 because of
something that happened unexpectedly?
2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable
 to
control the important things in your life?
3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and “stressed”?
4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your
ability
 to handle your personal problems?
5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things
 were going
your way
6. In the last month, how often have you found that you could not
cope
 with all the things that you had to do?
7. In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations
in your life?
8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of
things?
9. In the last month, how often have you been angered
 because of
things that were outside of your control?
10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties
 were piling up
so high that you could not overcome them?