Minimization

1. I don’t worry ahead of time about problems that are probably going to happen.
2. I feel that things are not as bad as they seem to others.
3. When I get angry‚ I try to hide my feelings.
4. I feel that problems have a way of taking care of themselves.
5. I have to be very sick to see a doctor.
6. I do not worry about things in the future because I am sure that everything will turn out all right.
7. When something bothers me‚ I can ignore it.
8. I feel there is very little that is worth worrying about.
9. No matter how bad things seem‚ I do not let it upset me.
10. I’m not afraid to take risks‚ because when your number’s up‚ it’s up.
 
These items measure the use of minimization as a coping strategy. Respondents are asked to indicate the extent to which certain statements describe them..
 
  • Self-Esteem/Efficacy
  • aggression; 
  • impulsivity; 
  • measurement; 
  • suicidality
 
This instrument can be found on page 141 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes‚ Behaviors‚ and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools‚ available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf .
Point values are as indicated above. Responses are summed to derive a total score‚ with possible scores ranging from 0 to 10. A higher score indicates a high use of minimization as a coping strategy. A lower score indicates less frequent use of minimization.
Not like me=0‚ Like me=1
 

Plutchik R‚ Van-Praag H. The measurement of suicidality‚ aggressivity and impulsivity. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 1989;13(Suppl)S23-S34.

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