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The Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSP Scale) is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the degree of high sensitivity in adults. It was developed by Elaine Aron, Ph.D., and Arthur Aron, Ph.D., in 1997. The HSP Scale consists of 27 items, each of which is rated on a 7-point Likert scale. The items measure a variety of aspects of high sensitivity, including:
- Sensory processing sensitivity
- Emotional sensitivity
- Social sensitivity
- Thinking sensitivity
- Imagination sensitivity
A score of 14 or higher on the HSP Scale indicates that a person is likely to be highly sensitive. High sensitivity is a personality trait that is estimated to occur in about 15-20% of the population. Highly sensitive people are often described as being deep thinkers, creative, and empathetic. They may also be more easily overwhelmed by sensory input, strong emotions, and social situations.
The HSP Scale is a valuable tool for helping people to understand their own high sensitivity. It can also be used to help people to identify strategies for coping with the challenges of high sensitivity and to maximize their strengths.
Definition of High Sensitivity
High sensitivity is a personality trait that is characterized by a heightened awareness of sensory input, emotions, and social situations. Highly sensitive people are often described as being deep thinkers, creative, and empathetic. They may also be more easily overwhelmed by sensory input, strong emotions, and social situations.
Reliability and Validity of the HSP Scale
The HSP Scale has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of high sensitivity. It has been shown to have good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant validity. The HSP Scale has also been shown to be sensitive to changes in high sensitivity over time.
Benefits of Taking the HSP Scale
There are many benefits to taking the HSP Scale. If you think you may be highly sensitive, taking the HSP Scale can help you to:
- Understand your own high sensitivity
- Identify strategies for coping with the challenges of high sensitivity
- Maximize your strengths
- Connect with other highly sensitive people
Conclusion
The HSP Scale is a valuable tool for helping people to understand their own high sensitivity. If you think you may be highly sensitive, I encourage you to take the HSP Scale. Taking the HSP Scale can help you to better understand yourself and to develop strategies for coping with the challenges of high sensitivity.
Not all people perceive around them in the same way. Several studies have found that a fifth of the population seems to notice more easily subtle differences in smells, tastes, colors, sounds, textures, as well as other sensations such as cold, heat, pain, hunger, the effect of medicines or coffee. Likewise, often they can distinguish subtleties in objects or surroundings and when they face a new situation, they usually take time to observe before acting. In addition, they have the ability to quickly identify people’s emotional state and experience both pleasant and unpleasant emotions with intensity.
These people have a characteristic named Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS),1 which is conceived as a genetically determined trait and is not caused by any type of alteration in sensitive organs. It seems to be the manifestation of a highly sensitive nervous system where the brain processes sensory information in a deep and complex way, which implies a greater degree of cognitive and semantic analysis
INSTRUCTIONS: This questionnaire is completely anonymous and confidential. Answer each question according to the way you personally feel, using the following scale:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Not at All | Moderately | Extremely |
- Are you easily overwhelmed by strong sensory input?
- Do you seem to be aware of subtleties in your environment?
- Do other people’s moods affect you?
- Do you tend to be more sensitive to pain?
- Do you find yourself needing to withdraw during busy days, into bed or into a darkened room or any place where you can have some privacy and relief from stimulation?
- Are you particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine?
- Are you easily overwhelmed by things like bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens close by?
- Do you have a rich, complex inner life?
- Are you made uncomfortable by loud noises?
- Are you deeply moved by the arts or music?
- Does your nervous system sometimes feel so frazzled that you just have to go off by yourself?
- Are you conscientious?
- Do you startle easily?
- Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?
- When people are uncomfortable in a physical environment do you tend to know what needs to be done to make it more comfortable (like changing the lighting or the seating)?
- Are you annoyed when people try to get you to do too many things at once?
- Do you try hard to avoid making mistakes or forgetting things?
- Do you make a point to avoid violent movies and TV shows?
- Do you become unpleasantly aroused when a lot is going on around you?
- Does being very hungry create a strong reaction in you, disrupting your concentration or mood?
- Do changes in your life shake you up?
- Do you notice and enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, works of art?
- Do you find it unpleasant to have a lot going on at once?
- Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
- Are you bothered by intense stimuli, like loud noises or chaotic scenes?
- When you must compete or be observed while performing a task, do you become so nervous or shaky that you do much worse than you would otherwise?
- When you were a child, did parents or teachers seem to see you as sensitive or shy?
HSP Scale © 1997 E. Aron (For additional information see Aron & Aron, JPSP, 1997 or email [email protected])