Test of Self-Conscious Affect -TOSCA

Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 short version (TOSCA-3 short version)
Tangney‚ Dearing‚ Wagner‚ and Gramzow.‚ 2000
1. You make plans to meet a friend for lunch. At 5 o’clock‚ you realize you stood him up.
a) You would think: “I’m inconsiderate.”
b) You would think: “Well‚ they’ll understand.”
c) You’d think you should make it up to him as soon as possible.
d) You would think: “My boss distracted me just before lunch.”
2. You break something at work and then hide it.
a) You would think: “This is making me anxious. I need to either fix it or get someone else to.”
b) You would think about quitting.
c) You would think: “A lot of things aren’t made very well these days.”
d) You would think: “It was only an accident.”
3. At work‚ you wait until the last minute to plan a project‚ and it turns out badly.
a) You would feel incompetent.
b) You would think: “There are never enough hours in the day.”
c) You would feel: “I deserve to be reprimanded for mismanaging the project.”
d) You would think: “What’s done is done.”
4. You make a mistake at work and find out a co-worker is blamed for the error.
a) You would think the company did not like the co-worker.
b) You would think: “Life is not fair.”
c) You would keep quiet and avoid the co-worker.
d) You would feel unhappy and eager to correct the situation.
5. While playing around‚ you throw a ball and it hits your friend in the face.
a) You would feel inadequate that you can’t even throw a ball.
b) You would think maybe your friend needs more practice at catching.
c) You would think: “It was just an accident.”
d) You would apologize and make sure your friend feels better.
6. You are driving down the road‚ and you hit a small animal.
a) You would think the animal shouldn’t have been on the road.
b) You would think: “I’m terrible.”
c) You would feel: “Well‚ it was an accident.”
d) You’d feel bad you hadn’t been more alert driving down the road.
7. You walk out of an exam thinking you did extremely well. Then you find out you did poorly.
a) You would think: “Well‚ it’s just a test.”
b) You would think: “The instructor doesn’t like me.”
c) You would think: “I should have studied harder.”
d) You would feel stupid.
8. While out with a group of friends‚ you make fun of a friend who’s not there.
a) You would think: “It was all in fun; it’s harmless.”
b) You would feel small…like a rat.
c) You would think that perhaps that friend should have been there to defend himself/herself.
d) You would apologize and talk about that person’s good points.
9. You make a big mistake on an important project at work. People were depending on you‚ and your boss criticizes you.
a) You would think your boss should have been more clear about what was expected of you.
b) You would feel like you wanted to hide.
c) You would think: “I should have recognized the problem and done a better job.”
d) You would think: “Well‚ nobody’s perfect.”
10. You are taking care of your friend’s dog while they are on vacation and the dog runs away.
a) You would think‚ “I am irresponsible and incompetent.”
b) You would think your friend must not take very good care of their dog or it wouldn’t have run away.
c) You would vow to be more careful next time.
d) You would think your friend could just get a new dog.
11. You attend your co-worker’s housewarming party and you spill red wine on their new cream colored carpet‚ but you think no one notices.
a) You think your co-worker should have expected some accidents at such a big party.
b) You would stay late to help clean up the stain after the party.
c) You would wish you were anywhere but at the party.
d) You would wonder why your co-worker chose to serve red wine with the new light carpet.
This instrument can be found on pages 127-131 of “Exploring the Guilt-Proneness of Non-Traditional Students.”. Available online at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1893&context=theses
 
1= Not likely …………………………….…………. Very likely=5
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Test of Self-Conscious Affect TOSCA-2
Tangney & Dearing‚ 2002
 
Q1. You make plans to meet a friend for lunch. At 5 o’clock‚ you realize you stood him up.
a) You cannot apologize enough for forgetting the appointment RG
b) You would think: “I’m inconsiderate.” S
c) You would think: “Well‚ they’ll understand.” D
d) You think you should make it up to him as soon as possible. G
e) You would think: “My boss distracted me just before lunch.” E
Q2. You break something at work and then hide it.
a) You would think: “This is making me anxious I need to either fix it or get someone else to.” G
b) You would think about quitting. (S) S
c) For days you’d worry about it‚ repeatedly trying to think of a way to remedy the situation. RG
d) You would think: “A lot of things aren’t made very well these days.” E
e) You would think: “It was only an accident.” D
Q3. You are out with friends one evening and you’re feeling especially witty and attractive. Your best friend’s spouse seems to particularly enjoy your company.
a) You would think: “I should have been aware of what my best friend is feeling.” G
b) You would feel happy with your appearance and personality. AP
c) You would feel pleased to have made such a good impression. BP
d) You can’t stop thinking about the problems you may have caused your friend and their spouse. RG
e) You would probably avoid eye-contact for a long time. S
Q4. At work‚ you wait until the last minute to plan a project‚ and it turns out badly.
a) You’d bend over backwards for months to make up for it but fear that it won’t make any difference. RG
b) You would feel incompetent. S
c) You would think: “There are never enough hours in the day.” E
d) You would feel: “I deserve to be reprimanded for mismanaging the project.” G
e) You would think: “What’s done is done.” D
Q5. You make a mistake at work and find out a co-worker is blamed for the error.
a) You would think the company did not like the co-worker. E
b) You would think: “Life is not fair.” D
c) You would keep quiet and avoid the co-worker. S
d) You would feel troubled and preoccupied with what happened but unable to correct the situation. RG
e) You would feel unhappy and eager to correct the situation. G
Q6. For several days you put off making a difficult phone call. At the last minute you make the call and are able to manipulate the conversation so that all goes well.
a) You would think: “I guess I’m more persuasive than I thought.” AP
b) You would regret that you put it off. G
c) You would feel like a coward. S
d) You would think: “I did a good job”. BP
e) You would feel badly about getting off so easily and always feel “funny” whenever you thought about the call. RG
f) You would think you shouldn’t have to make calls you feel pressured into. E
Q7. While playing around‚ you throw a ball and it hits your friend in the face.
a) You would feel inadequate that you can’t even throw a ball. S
b) You would think maybe your friend needs more practice at catching. E
c) You’d replay the incident over and over‚ wondering what you could have done to avoid it. RG
d) You would think: “It was just an accident.” D
e) You would apologize and make sure your friend feels better. G
Q8. You have recently moved away from your family‚ and everyone has been very helpful. A few times you have needed to borrow money‚ but you paid it back as soon as you could.
a) You would feel immature. S
b) You would think: “I sure ran into some bad luck.” D
c) You would return the favor as quickly as you could. G
d) You would think: “I am a trustworthy person.” AP
e) You would be proud that you repaid your debts. BP
f) You’d still never be able to forgive yourself for putting your family out. RG
Q9. You are driving down the road‚ and hit a small animal.
a) You would think the animal shouldn’t have been on the road. E
b) You would think: “I’m terrible.” S
c) You would feel: “Well‚ it was an accident.” D
d) You’d have trouble getting the image of the animal out of your mind. RG
e) You’d feel bad you hadn’t been more alert driving down the road. G
Q10. You walk out of an exam thinking you did extremely well. Then you find out you did poorly.
a) You would think: “Well‚ it’s just a test.” D
b) You would think: “The instructor doesn’t like me.” E
c) You would think: “I should have studied harder.” G
d) You would feel stupid. S
e) You’d keep thinking back to all of the things you did wrong in preparing for the exam. RG
Q11. You and a group of co-workers worked very hard on a project. Your boss singles you out for a bonus because the project was such a success.
a) You would feel the boss is rather short-sighted. E
b) You would feel alone and apart from your colleagues. S
c) You would feel your hard work had paid off. BP
d) You would feel competent and proud of yourself. AP
e) You would feel you should not accept it. G
f) You’d feel compelled to find new ways each day to make it up to your co-workers. RG
Q12. While out with a group of friends‚ you make fun of a friend who’s not there.
a) You would think: “It was all in fun; it’s harmless.” D
b) You would feel small … like a “rat.” S
c) You would think that perhaps that friend should have been there to defend himself/herself. E
d) You would berate yourself over and over for it and vow never to do it again. RG
e) You would apologize and talk about that person’s good points. G
Q13. You make a big mistake on an important project at work. People were depending on you‚ and your boss criticizes you.
a) You would think your boss should have been clearer about what was expected of you. E
b) You would walk around for days kicking yourself‚ thinking of all the mistakes you made. RG
c) You would feel like you wanted to hide. S
d) You would think: “I should have recognized the problem and done a better job.” G
e) You would think: “Well‚ nobody’s perfect.” D
Q14. You volunteer to help with the local Special Olympics for handicapped children. It turns out to be frustrating and time-consuming work. You think seriously about quitting‚ but then you see how happy the kids are.
a) You would feel selfish and you’d think you are basically lazy. S
b) Every time you hear about the kids‚ you get a gnawing feeling inside‚ knowing how you almost let them down. RG
c) You would feel you were forced into doing something you did not want to do. E
d) You would think: “I should be more concerned about people who are less fortunate.” G
e) You would feel great that you had helped others. BP
Q15. You are taking care of your friend’s dog while they are on vacation and the dog runs away.
a) You would think: “I am irresponsible and incompetent.” S
b) You would think that your friend must not take very good care of their dog or it wouldn’t have run away. E
c) You would feel badly every time you saw a dog. RG
d) You would vow to be more careful next time. G
e) You would think your friend could just get a new dog. D
Q16. You attend your co-worker’s housewarming party‚ and you spill red wine on their new cream-colored carpet‚ but you think no one notices.
a) You think your co-worker should have expected some accidents at such a big party. E
b) You would stay late to help clean up the stain after the party. G
c) Every time you see your co-worker you get a nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach‚ thinking of that stain on the carpet. RG
d) You would wish you were anywhere but at the party. S
e) You would wonder why your co-worker chose to serve red wine with the new light carpet. D
Note: AP = Alpha Pride. BP = Beta Pride. E = Externalization. D = Detachment. G = Guilt. S = Shame. RG = Ruminative Guilt.
 
This instrument can be found on pages 114-118 of “Forgiveness and the Bottle: Promoting Self forgiveness with Alcohol Misuse.”. Available online at: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3108&context=etd
 
1= Not likely …………………………….…………. Very likely=5
 

Tangney‚ J.P.‚ Wagner‚ P.‚ & Gramzow‚ R. (1989). The Test of Self-Conscious Affect. Fairfax‚ VA: George Mason University.

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Tangney‚ J.P. & Dearing‚ R.L. (2002). Shame and guilt. New York: Guilford.

Woien‚ S.L.‚ Ernst‚ H.A.H.‚ Patock-Peckham‚ J.A.‚ & Nagoshi‚ C.T. (2003). Validation of theTOSCA to measure shame and guilt. Personality and Individual Differences 35(2)‚ 313-326.

Tangney‚ J. P.‚ Boone‚ A. L.‚ & Dearing‚ R. (2005). Forgiving the self: Conceptual issues and empirical findings. In E. L. Worthington‚ Jr. (Ed.)‚ Handbook of forgiveness (pp. 143-158). NY: Routledge.

Scherer. Michael‚ “Forgiveness and the Bottle: Promoting Self-forgiveness with Alcohol Misuse” (2010). Virginia Commonwealth University‚ Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2109.

Alton‚ Kristian Leigh‚ (2012). “Exploring the Guilt-Proneness of Non-Traditional Students”. Southern Illinois University Carbondale.Theses. Paper 885.

Atrifard M. Relationship between brain/behavior and being prone to shame and guilt [Dissertation]. Tehran: Tarbiyat Modarres University; 2004

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