Trait Emotion Manipulation and Willingness to Manipulate Emotions Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Emotional manipulation refers to the ability to influence the behaviors and feelings of others to achieve personal goals (Austin, Farrelly, Black, & Moore, 2007). Initially, emotional manipulation was seen as an effective means to gain parental attention, attract partners, and acquire social resources. However, with the rise of Pick Up Artists (PUA), the phenomenon of abusing emotional manipulation for profit has become common. For instance, one party in a romantic relationship may use emotional control to manipulate, deceive, and abuse the other party to gain sexual contact or benefits. Increasingly, researchers are shifting their focus to the darker side of emotional manipulation. In organizations, emotional manipulation can lead to decreased employee efficiency, heightened internal conflicts, and a breakdown of organizational discipline (Furnham, Richards, & Paulhus, 2013). For example, leaders with high emotional manipulation may exploit their abilities at the expense of employees and the company for personal gain. Emotional manipulation is regarded as the dark side of emotional intelligence, where individuals affect the emotions and behaviors of others for their selfish desires or benefits (Austin, Farrelly, Black, & Moore, 2007). This definition emphasizes individuals’ perceived capabilities in emotional manipulation.

Authors and Contact Email

Information not available

Purpose

To explore and measure the traits and willingness related to emotional manipulation within intimate relationships.

Test Year

Information not available

Administration Method and Scoring

The Trait Emotional Manipulation Scale is derived from the emotional manipulation scale developed by Austin et al. (2007), featuring 10 items. This study modifies all items appropriately for intimate relationships, for instance changing “I know how to make others feel uncomfortable” to “I know how to make my partner feel uncomfortable.” The scale utilizes a Likert 5-point scoring system, where higher scores indicate stronger traits of emotional manipulation. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for the Trait Emotional Manipulation Scale, as reported in Xu Chenxi’s research, is 0.78.

The Emotional Manipulation Willingness Scale is revised from the emotional manipulation scale by Hyde and Grieve (2014), based on the work of Austin et al. (2007). This scale measures the frequency of an individual’s emotional manipulation and also uses a 5-point scoring system: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Occasionally, 4 = Sometimes, 5 = Often. A higher average score represents more frequent emotional manipulation of others. In Xu Chenxi’s research, the Cronbach’s α coefficient for the Emotional Manipulation Willingness Scale is 0.75.

Reliability and Validity

The Trait Emotional Manipulation Scale has a Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.78, and the Emotional Manipulation Willingness Scale has a Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.75, indicating acceptable reliability for both measures.

Factors and Subscales

Information not available

Keywords

Emotional manipulation, emotional intelligence, intimate relationships, Trait Emotional Manipulation Scale, Emotional Manipulation Willingness Scale

Items in Chinese

1. 我知道如何通过让伴侣感到不好意思来阻止他/她的某些行为。
2. 我知道如何使伴侣感到不安。
3. 我知道如何挑拨伴侣和某人的关系。
4. 我知道如何让伴侣为他/她做过的事情而羞愧，以便阻止他/她再做同样的事。
5. 我知道如何让伴侣紧张。
6. 我会使用情绪技巧来使伴侣内疚。
7. 我能通过让伴侣感到焦虑来使他/她按照特定方式行事。
8. 我可以通过赞美伴侣来获得他/她的好感。
9. 我善于通过安抚伴侣来使他/她赞同我所说的话。
10. 有时我会故作生气来阻止伴侣的某一行为。

Items in English

1. I know how to make my partner feel embarrassed to stop some of their behaviors.
2. I know how to make my partner feel uneasy.
3. I know how to stir up my partner’s relationship with someone.
4. I make my partner feel ashamed of what they have done to prevent them from doing the same thing again.
5. I know how to make my partner anxious.
6. I will use emotional tricks to make my partner feel guilty.
7. I can make my partner feel anxious to get them to act in a certain way.
8. I can gain my partner’s favor by complimenting them.
9. I am good at soothing my partner to gain their agreement to what I say.
10. Sometimes I pretend to be angry to stop a certain behavior of my partner.

References

许晨曦. 亲密关系中情绪操纵的影响因素研究[D].西南大学,2022.DOI:10.27684/d.cnki.gxndx.2022.000724.