People who catastrophize get stuck on the worst possible outcome. A mistake or disappointment can amount to abject failure. Catastrophizing was coined by the late psychologist Albert Ellis, who developed rational emotive behavior therapy. See where you fall on this scale.
Psychology Today's online self-tests are intended for informational purposes only and are not diagnostic tools. Psychology Today does not capture or store personally identifiable information, and your identity cannot be determined from your responses. Aggregated self-test responses are stored to improve the tests and provide performance comparisons. Psychology Today uses third party cookies such as Google Analytics to collect visitor data on this page without sharing any personal data, ensuring your identity cannot be determined from your visit. There are no advertising partners included on these self-test pages. If you wish to remove cookies from this site or opt out of data sharing, please click 'Do not share or sell my personal information' below. For a reliable medical diagnosis, please consult a professional.
Who Is This Catastrophizing Test For?
This test is for anyone who wants to examine their tendency to catastrophize. It’s designed for adults and is not intended to be prescriptive.
The Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Situational vs. dispositional measurement of catastrophizing: Associations with pain responses in multiple samples. Journal of Pain. C.M. Campbell, et al.
A catastrophizing assessment of worrisome thoughts. Cognitive Therapy and Research. M. Vasey
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Irrational and Rational Beliefs, and the Mental Health of Athletes. Frontiers in Psychology. M.J. Turner.
Self Tests are all about you. Are you outgoing or introverted? Are you a narcissist? Does perfectionism hold you back? Find out the answers to these questions and more with Psychology Today.