Self-Assessment:Sensation-Seekingscale

,.':"" ,

Self-Assessment: Sensation-Seeking Scale

Instructions Each of the items below contains two choices, A and B. Please indicate in the spaces provided on the left which of the choices most describes your likes or the way you feel. It is important that you respond to a!I items with only one choice, A or B. In some cases you may find that both choices describe your likes or the way you feel. Please choose the one that better describes your likes or feelings. In some cases you may not like either choice. In these cases mark the choice you dislike least. We are interested only in your likes or feelings, not in how others feel about these things or how one is supposed to fee!. There are no right or wrong answers. Be frank and give your honest appraisal of yourself.

The Scale

_____ 1. A. I would like a job that would require a lot of traveling.

B. I would prefer a job in one location.

_____ 2. A. I am invigorated by a brisk, cold day.

B. I can't wait to get indoors on a cold day.

_____ 3. A. I find a certain pleasure in routine kinds of work.

B. Although it is sometimes necessary, I usually dislike routine kinds of work.

_____ 4. A. I often wish I could be a mountain climber.

B. Ican't understand people who risk their necks climb ing mountains.

_____ 5. A. I dislike all body odors.

B. I like some of the earthy body smells.

_____ 6. A. I get bored seeing the same old faces.

B. I like the comfortable familiarity of everyday friends.

_____ 7. A. I like to explore a strange city or section of town by myself, even if it means getting lost.

B. I prefer a guide when I am in a place I don't know well.

_____ 8. A. 1 find the quickest and easiest route to a place and stick to it.

B. I sometimes take different routes to a place I often go, just for variety's sake.

_____ 9. A. I would not like to try any drug that might produce strange and dangerous effects on me.

B. 1 would like to try some of the new drugs that pro duce hallucinations. _____ 10. A. I would prefer living in an ideal society where every one is safe, secure, and happy.

B. I would have preferred living in the unsettled days of our histmy.

11. A. I sometimes like to do things that are a little frightening.

B. A sensible person avoids activities that are dangerous. _____17. A. When I go on a trip, I like to plan my route and _____12. A. I order dishes with which I am familiar, so as time table fairly carefully. to avoid disappointment and unpleasantness. B. Iwould like to take off on a trip with no pre- B. Ilike to try new foods that Ihave never tasted planned or definite routes or timetables. before. ____18. A. I enjoy the thrills of watching car races. _____13. A. I can't stand riding with a person who likes to speed. B. I find car races unpleasant.

B. I sometimes like to drive very fast 19. A. Most people spend entirely too much money on because Ifind it exciting. life insurance.

14. A. If I were a salesperson, I would prefer a B. Life insurance is something that no one can straight salary rather than the risk of making afford to be without. little or nothing on a commission basis. 20. A. I would like to learn to fly an airplane.

B. If I were a salesperson, I would prefer B. I would not like to learn to fly an airplane. working on a commission if I had a chance to make more money than Icould on a 21. A. I would not like to be hypnotized. salary. B. I would like to have the experience of 15. A. I would like to take up the sport of water skiing. being hypnotized.

B. I would not like to take up the sport of water _____22. A. The most important goal of life is to live it to the skiing. full est and experience as much of it as you _____16. A. I don't like to argue with people whose can. beliefs arc sharply divergent from mine, since such arguments are never resolved. B. The most important goal of life is to find peace and happiness. B. I find people who disagree with my beliefs more stimulating than people who agree with me. PERSONAL EXPLORATIONS WORKBOOK W- 9 23. A. I would like to try parachute jumping. What the Scale Measures As its name implies, the Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS) measures B. I would never want to try jumping out of a plane, one's need for a high level of stimulation. Sensation seeking with or without a parachute. involves the active pursuit of experiences that many people would 24. A. I enter cold water gradually, giving myself time to get find very stressful. As discussed in the chapter, Marvin Zuckerman used to it. (1994, 2007) believes that this thirst for sensation is a highly heri table personality trait that leads people to seek thrills, adventures, B. I like to dive or jump right into the ocean or a cold and new experiences. pool. 25. A. I do not like the irregularity and discord of most The scale you have just responded to is the second version of the modern music. SSS (Zuckerman, 1979), but it shares a great deal of overlap with the current version (Arnaut, 2006). Sensation seeking is distributed B. I like to listen to new and unusual kinds of music. along a continuum, and many people fall in the middle. Factor analyses indicate that the personality trait of sensation seeking con 26. A. I prefer friends who are excitingly unpredictable. sists of four related components. When compared to low sensation B. I prefer friends who are reliable and predictable. seekers, those high in sensation seeking display the following four sets of characteristics (Arnaut, 2006; Zuckerman, 1994): 27. A. When I go on a vacation, I prefer the comfort of a good room and bed. Thrill and adventure seeking. They're more willing to engage in B. When I go on a vacation, I would prefer the change activities that may involve a physical risk. Thus, they're more of camping out. likely to go mountain climbing, skydiving, surfing, and scuba diving. 28. A. The essence of good art is in its clarity, symmetry of Experience seeking. They're more willing to volunteer for form, and harmony of colors. unusual experiments or activities that they may know little B. I often find beauty in the "clashing" colors and ir about. They tend to relish extensive travel, provocative art, regular forms of modern paintings. wild parties, and unusual friends. Disinhibition. They are relatively uninhibited. Hence, they are 29. A. The worst social sin is to be rude. prone to engage in heavy drinking, recreational drug use, gam bling, and sexual experimentation. B. The worst social sin is to be a bore. Susceptibility to boredom. Their chief foe is monotony. They 30. A. I look forward to a good night of rest after a long day. have a low tolerance for routine and repetition, and they quickly and easily become bored. B. I wish I didn't have to waste so much of a day sleeping.

31. A. I prefer people who are emotionally expressive even Test retest reliabilities are quite respectable and there is ample if they are a bit unstable. evidence to support the scale's predictive validity. For example, studies show that high sensation seekers appraise hypotheti- B. I prefer people who are calm and even tempered. cal situations aS less risky than low sensation seekers do and are 32. A. A good painting should shock or jolt the senses. more willing to volunteer for an experiment in which they will be hypnotized. The scale also shows robust positive correlations with B. A good painting should give bne a feeling of peace measures of change seeking, novelty seeking, and impulsiveness. and security. Interestingly, SSS scores tend to decline with age. 33. A. When I feel discouraged, 1 recover by relaxing and having some soothing diversion. Interpreting Your Score Our norms are based on percentiles reported by Zuckerman and B. When I feel discouraged, I recover by going out and colleagues for a sample of 62 undergraduates. Although males doing something new and exciting. generally tend to score a bit higher than females on the SSS, the 34. A. People who ride motorcycles must have some kind of differences are small enough to report one set of (averaged) norms. an unconscious need to hurt themselves. Remember, sensation-seeking scores tend to decline with age. So, if you're not in the modal college student age range (17-23), these B. I would like to drive or ride on a motorcycle. norms may be a bit high.

Scoring the Scale Norms The scoring key is High 21-34 reproduced below. You score: 11-20 should circle your re Inter 0-10 sponse of A orB each media time it corresponds to the te keyed response be low. score: Add up the number of Low responses you circled. score: This total is your score on the Sensation-Seeking Scale. Record your score below.

l.A 8.8 15.A 22.A 29.8 2.A 9.8 16.8 23.A 30.8 3.8 10.8 17.8 24.8 3l.A 4.A ll.A 18.A 25.8 32.A 5.8 12.8 19.A 26.A 33.8 6.A 13.8 20.A 27.8 34.B 7.A 14.8 21.8 28.8

My score _

W·lO PERSONAL EXPLORATIONS WORKBOOK Self-Reflection: Who Are You?

Below you will find 75 personality trait words taken from an influential list assembled by Anderson (1968). Try to select the 20 traits (20 only!) that describe you best. Check them. sincere forgetful truthful imaginative outgoing pessimistic crafty mature impolite dependable openMminded methodical skeptical diligent persistent suspicious sly efficient prideful orderly patient headstrong resourceful optimistic energetic tense naive perceptive considerate modest cooperative sloppy punctual courteous smart neat grouchy prejudiced candid kind logical ethical friendly idealistic good-humored vain persuasive gracious warm unselfish sociable nervous shy versatile cordial scornful clumsy Short-tempered courageous wholesome cheerful rebellious compulsive tactful generous honest studious sarcastic loyal boastful reasonable understanding respectful reliable daring

Review the 20 traits that you chose. Overall, is it a favorable or unfavorable picture that you have sketched?

Considering Carl Rogers's point that we often distort reality and construct an overly favorable self concept, do you feel that you were objective?

What characteristics make you unique?

What are your greatest strengths?

What are your greatest weaknesses?

PERSONAL EXPLORATIONS WORKBOOK W-11 Self-Assessment: The Life Experiences Survey (LES) Instructions Listed below are a number of events that sometimes bring about change in the lives of those who experience them and that necessitate social readjustment. Examine each event on the list, and if that event has occurred in your life during the past year please indicate the extent to which you viewed the event as having either a positive or negative impact on your life at the time it occurred. That is, circle a number on the appropriate line to indicate the type and extent of impact that the event had. A rating of -3 would indicate an extremely negative impact. A rating of 0 suggests no impact, either positive or negative. A rating of + 3 would indicate an extremely positive impact.

The Scale Extremely Moderately Slightly No Slightly Moderately Extremely negative negative negative impact positive positive positive

Section 1 g. Spouse -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +3 h. Other (specify) -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 16. Sexual difficulties -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 17. Trouble with employer (in danger of losing job, being -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 suspended, being demoted, etc.) -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 18. Trouble with inlaws 19. Major change in financial status (a lot better off or a lot -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 worse off)

20. Major change in closeness of family members -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 (increased or decreased closeness)

21. Gaining a new family member (through birth, adoption, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 family member moving in, etc.)

22. Change in residence -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

23. Marital separation from mate (due to conflict) -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

24. Major change in church activities (increased or -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 decreased attendance)

25. Marital reconciliation with mate -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

26. Major change in number of arguments with spouse (a -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 lot more or a lot fewer)

27. Married male: Change in wife's work outside the home -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 (beginning work, ceasing work, changing to a new job, etc.)

28. Married female: Change in husband's work (loss of job, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 beginning new job, retirement, etc.)

29. Major change in usual type and/or amount of recreation -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 30. Borrowing for a major purchase (buying a home, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 business, etc.)

31. Borrowing for a smaller purchase (buying a car or TV, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 getting school loan, etc.)

32. Being fired from job -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

33. Male: Wife/girlfriend having an abortion -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

34. Female; Having an abortion -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

35. Major personal illness or injury -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

36. Major change in social activities, e.g., parties, movies, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 visiting (increased or decreased participation)

37. Major change in living conditions of family (building -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 new home, remodeling, deterioration of home or neighborhood, etc.)

38. Divorce -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

39. Serious injury or illness of close friend -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

40. Retirement from work -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

41. Son or daughter leaving home (due to marriage, college, -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 etc.)

42. End of formal schooling -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 -3 -2 43. Separation from spouse (due to work, travel, etc.) -1 0 +1 +2 +3 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 44. Engagement 45. Breaking up with boyfriend/girlfriend -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

46. Leaving home for the first time -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

W-14 PERSONAL EXPLORATIONS WORKBOOK

47. Reconciliation with boyfriend/girlfriend -3' ·'2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 Other recent experiences that have had an impact on your life. List and rate.

48. ______-3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 49. ______-3 -2 -I +I 0 +2 +3

5o. ______-3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 ______Section 2.Students only 51. Beginning a new school experience at a higher -3 -2 -I 0 +I academic level (college, graduate school, professional +2 +3 school) 52. Changing to a new school at the same academic level -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) +3

53. Academic probation -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 54. Being dismissed from dormitory or other residence -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 55. Failing an important exam -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 56. Changing a major -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 57. Failing a course -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 58. Dropping a course -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 59. Joining a fraternity/sorority -3 -2 -I 0 +I +2 +3 60. Financial problems concerning school (in danger of not -3 -2 -I +I having sufficient money to continue) 0 +2 +3

Scoring the Scale are not included on the scale. Finally, the LES has an extra section Arriving at your scores on the LES is very simple. Add up all the just for students.

positive impact ratings on the right side. The total is your posi- Interpreting Your Score tive change score. Your negative change score is the sum of all of Approximate norms for all three of the scores are listed below so the negative impact ratings that you made on the left side. Adding these two values yields your total change score. Record your scores that you can get some idea of what your score means. Research to below. date suggests that the negative change score is the crucial one; pos itive change has not been found to be a good predictor of adapta My positive change score _ tional outcomes. Thus far, research has shown that negative change scores are related to a variety of negative adaptational outcomes. My negative change score _ There is merit in getting an estimate of how much stress you have My total change score _ experienced lately, but scores on the LES should be interpreted with caution. You need not panic if you add up your negative change score and find that it falls in the "high" category. For one What the Scale Measures thing, the strength of the association between stress and adapta The Life Experiences Survey (LES), assembled by Irwin Sarason tional problems is modest. Second, stress interacts with many other and colleagues (1978), has become a widely used measure of stress factors, such as lifestyle, coping skills, social support, hardiness, in contemporary research (for examples see Ames et al., 2001; and genetic inheritance, in influencing one's mental and physical Denisoff & Endler, 2000; Malefo, 2000). The LES recognizes that health. stress involves more than mere change and asks respondents to indicate whether events had a positive or negative impact on them. This strategy helps researchers gain much more insight into which Norms for LES facets of stress are most crucial. The LES also takes into consid responden personall t events eration differences among people in their appraisal of stress, by lows t to write y that dropping the normative weights and replacing them with personally the in importan assigned weightings of the impact of relevant events. The LES al Score change High Medium Low Negative 4-13 Positive change Total change change 0-3 16 and above 28 and above 14 and 7-15 12-27 above 0-6 0-11

PERSONAL EXPLORATIONS WORKBOOK W-15 Self-Reflection: Stress-How Do You Control It?

1. Do modem lifestyles create more stress than in the past? How so?

2. How do you create stress in your own life?

3. How could you change the nature of our society to make it less stressful?

4. It could be said that some stress comes from leading "out-of-balance" lives. What can people do to "keep it simple"? Furthermore, in what ways can individuals control the stressors they will encounter beforehand?

5. How could you change the way in which you interact with your school demands or your work demands to change the amount of stress that you feel?

W-16 PERSONAL ExPLORATIONS WORKBOOK