Novice Anger Scale
DIRECTIONS: In the space provided before each incident, estimate the degree it would ordinarily anger or provoke you, using the key listed below. Make your best general estimate even though many potentially important details are omitted (such as what kind of day you were having, or who was involved in the situation). PDF Version
KEY:
0 = I would feel very little or no annoyance
1 = I would feel a little irritated
2 = I would feel moderately upset
3 = I would feel quite angry
4 = I would feel very angry
____ 1. You unpack an appliance you have just bought, plug it in, and discover that it doesn't work.
____ 2. You are overcharged by a repairman who has you in a bind.
____ 3. You are singled out for correction when the actions of others go unnoticed.
____ 4. You get your car stuck in the mud or snow.
____ 5. You are talking to someone who doesn't answer you.
____ 6. Someone pretends to be something he or she is not.
____ 7. While you are struggling to carry four cups of coffee to your table at a cafeteria, someone bumps into you, spilling the coffee.
____ 8. You have hung up your clothes, but someone knocks them to the floor and fails to pick them up.
____ 9. You are hounded by a salesperson from the moment that you walk into a store.
____ 10. You have made arrangements to go somewhere, but the person backs out at the last minute and leaves you all alone.
____ 11. You are being joked about or teased.
____ 12. Your car is stalled at a traffic light, and the guy behind you keeps blowing his horn.
____ 13. You accidentally make the wrong kind of turn in a parking lot. As you get out of the car, someone yells at you, "Where did you learn learn to drive?"
____ 14. Someone makes a mistake and blames it on you.
____ 15. You are trying to concentrate, but a person near you is tapping his or her foot.
____ 16. You lend someone an important book or tool, and he or she fails to return it.
____ 17. You have had a busy day, and the person you live with complains that you forgot to do something you agreed to do.
____ 18. You are trying to discuss something important with your mate or partner, who isn't giving you a chance to express your feelings.
____ 19. You are in a discussion with someone who persists in arguing about a topic he or she knows very little about.
____ 20. Someone intrudes and interrupts an argument between you and someone else.
____ 21. You need to get somewhere quickly, but the car in front of you is going 25 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone, and you can't pass.
____ 22. YOU step on a wad of chewing gum.
____ 23. You are mocked by a small group of people as you pass them.
____ 24. In a hurry to get somewhere, you tear a good pair of slacks on a sharp object.
____ 25. You use your last quarter to make a phone call, but you are disconnected before you finish dialing, and the quarter is lost.
Total Score __________
*Be sure you have put a number beside each of the 25 statements
KEY:
0 = I would feel very little or no annoyance
1 = I would feel a little irritated
2 = I would feel moderately upset
3 = I would feel quite angry
4 = I would feel very angry
____ 1. You unpack an appliance you have just bought, plug it in, and discover that it doesn't work.
____ 2. You are overcharged by a repairman who has you in a bind.
____ 3. You are singled out for correction when the actions of others go unnoticed.
____ 4. You get your car stuck in the mud or snow.
____ 5. You are talking to someone who doesn't answer you.
____ 6. Someone pretends to be something he or she is not.
____ 7. While you are struggling to carry four cups of coffee to your table at a cafeteria, someone bumps into you, spilling the coffee.
____ 8. You have hung up your clothes, but someone knocks them to the floor and fails to pick them up.
____ 9. You are hounded by a salesperson from the moment that you walk into a store.
____ 10. You have made arrangements to go somewhere, but the person backs out at the last minute and leaves you all alone.
____ 11. You are being joked about or teased.
____ 12. Your car is stalled at a traffic light, and the guy behind you keeps blowing his horn.
____ 13. You accidentally make the wrong kind of turn in a parking lot. As you get out of the car, someone yells at you, "Where did you learn learn to drive?"
____ 14. Someone makes a mistake and blames it on you.
____ 15. You are trying to concentrate, but a person near you is tapping his or her foot.
____ 16. You lend someone an important book or tool, and he or she fails to return it.
____ 17. You have had a busy day, and the person you live with complains that you forgot to do something you agreed to do.
____ 18. You are trying to discuss something important with your mate or partner, who isn't giving you a chance to express your feelings.
____ 19. You are in a discussion with someone who persists in arguing about a topic he or she knows very little about.
____ 20. Someone intrudes and interrupts an argument between you and someone else.
____ 21. You need to get somewhere quickly, but the car in front of you is going 25 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone, and you can't pass.
____ 22. YOU step on a wad of chewing gum.
____ 23. You are mocked by a small group of people as you pass them.
____ 24. In a hurry to get somewhere, you tear a good pair of slacks on a sharp object.
____ 25. You use your last quarter to make a phone call, but you are disconnected before you finish dialing, and the quarter is lost.
Total Score __________
*Be sure you have put a number beside each of the 25 statements