The Pessimism Scale is a 18-item measure of an individual's index of emotional judgement. The measure is part of a larger Optimism/Pessimism Scale which is a self-administered 56-item instrument, 18 items worded in an optimistic direction (the optimism scale) and 18 in a pessimistic direction (the pessimism scale).
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female, Male
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
ITEMS:
It is best not to set your hopes too high since you will probably be disappointed.
I have a tendency to make mountains out of molehills.
Rarely do I expect good things to happen.
When it comes to my future plans and ambitions in life, I expect more to go wrong than right.
I believe there's not much hope for the human race.
People get ahead by using 'pu11' and not because of what they know.
Even when things in my life are going okay,I expect them to get worse soon.
If I make a decision on my own, I can pretty much count on the fact that it will turn out to be a poor one.
I have a tendency to blow up problems so they seem worse than they really are.
As time goes on, things will most likely get worse.
Better to expect defeat: then it doesn't hit so hard when it comes.
It seems the cards of life are stacked against me.
When gambling, I expect to lose.
The future looks very dismal.
Give me 5050 odds and I will choose the wrong answer every time.
It is hard to get ahead without cutting corners here and there.
If I were in competition and contestants were narrowed down to myself and one other person, I would expect to be runner-up.
Response Options:
1=Strongly agree
2=Agree
3=Disagree
4=Strongly disagree
Scores are summed; higher scores indicate more of the construct being measured.
Dember, W. N., Martin, S. H., Hummer, M. K., Howe, S. R., & Melton, R. S. (1989). The measurement of optimism and pessimism. Current Psychology, 8(2), 102-119.
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