Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)

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Abstract

The Sensitivity to Put-Down (SPD) scale (Gilbert & Miles, 2000) is a comprehensive psychological instrument designed to assess an individual’s emotional and cognitive responses to perceived social criticism and experiences of being “put-down.” The development of the scale was informed by a review of relevant psychological literature and input from clinicians regarding typical hurtful or grievance-causing social situations encountered by patients. The resulting instrument features 20 core items representing common social criticisms and devaluations.

The scale is unique in its dual-measurement approach, capturing both immediate affective reactions and subsequent blame attribution patterns. Part 1 measures the degree of felt distress (anxiety/upset) and anger (irritation/annoyance). Part 2 measures the degree to which the individual attributes blame for the put-down internally (blame-self) or externally (blame-others). This structure provides four distinct subscale scores, allowing for detailed analysis of the links between sensitivity to put-down and psychological outcomes such as shame, social anxiety, depression, and generalized anger.

Keywords

Sensitivity to Put-Down, Criticism, Shame, Social Anxiety, Blame attribution, Anger, Distress, Affective response, Self-blame, Other-blame.

Authors

Paul Gilbert, J.N.V. Miles, C. Irons, K. Olsen, J. Gilbert, K. McEwan.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sensitivity to Put-Down scale is to measure the intensity and style of an individual’s psychological reaction to social situations involving perceived devaluation or criticism. It specifically aims to differentiate between two major dimensions of response: the emotional intensity (anxiety/distress vs. anger/irritation) and the cognitive attribution of causality (self-blame vs. other-blame).

By capturing these four separate scores, the scale enables researchers and clinicians to better understand the mechanisms linking interpersonal sensitivity to various forms of psychopathology, particularly those rooted in social rank theory and affect regulation difficulties. This detailed measurement allows for targeted interventions based on whether an individual primarily experiences distress or anger, and whether they tend toward internalizing or externalizing blame.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of Sensitivity to Put-Down, defined as a heightened predisposition to react emotionally and cognitively to experiences of social criticism, rejection, or humiliation. This construct is operationalized across four subscales:

  • Anxiety/Distress: Measures the extent of anxiety and upset felt in response to put-down scenarios.
  • Anger/Irritability: Measures the extent of frustration, anger, and irritation felt in response to the same scenarios.
  • Blame-Self: Measures the tendency to attribute the cause of the put-down internally (e.g., believing one is flawed or inferior).
  • Blame-Others: Measures the tendency to attribute the cause externally (e.g., believing the critic is unjust or unkind).

Validity

The initial research accompanying the scale’s development established its construct validity by examining its correlation with key psychological variables. The study by Gilbert and Miles (2000) confirmed that high scores on the SPD subscales were significantly related to elevated levels of shame, social anxiety, depression, and general anger. This pattern of correlations supports the scale’s ability to measure a form of interpersonal vulnerability linked to negative mood states and maladaptive emotional processing.

Reliability

The Sensitivity to Put-Down scale demonstrates strong internal reliability. The initial psychometric testing reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for each of the four subscales were consistently above 0.90. This high level of internal consistency suggests that the 20 items within each respective subscale are highly homogeneous and reliably measure their intended facet of sensitivity (distress, anger, self-blame, or other-blame).

Factor Analysis

The scale is structured to yield four distinct scores, reflecting the theoretical multidimensionality of the construct. While the source content does not provide detailed factor loading tables, the excellent internal reliability reported for each of the four separate subscales strongly suggests that the items cluster into the intended factors: emotional distress, anger response, self-blame attribution, and other-blame attribution. The design, inspired by Arrindell et al. (1990), supports the separation of felt emotion from attributional styles.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological measure.

Format: 20 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale, administered across two parts, resulting in four distinct subscale scores. The scoring is achieved through simple summation of item responses within each column.

Language Available: English (Original).

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations.

Age Group: Adult.

Population Details: Items were derived from typical situations associated with criticism and social put-down identified through literature review and clinical consultation.

Test Methodology: Part 1 requires participants to rate how anxious/distressed (left column) and how angry/irritated (right column) they would feel in 20 social situations. Part 2 uses the identical 20 situations, but participants rate the degree to which they would Blame Self (left column) and Blame Others (right column). The scale used is 1 = NOT AT ALL, 2 = SOMEWHAT, 3 = RATHER, 4 = VERY, 5 = EXTREMELY.

Keywords

Self-blame, Other-blame, Emotional regulation, Social threat, Psychometrics, Internal consistency, Gilbert, Miles, Attributional style.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically handled through the authors’ academic affiliations, such as the University of Derby (www.derby.ac.uk/), where the research was originally conducted.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and copyrighted in 2000 by Paul Gilbert & J.N.V. Miles. For use in academic research, permission should be sought directly from the authors. Fee information is not provided in the source documentation.

Reference’s

  • Gilbert, P. & Miles J.N.V. (2000). Sensitivity to put-down: Its relationship to perceptions of shame, social anxiety, depression, anger and self-other blame. Personality and Individual Differences, 29, 757-774.
  • Gilbert, P. Irons, C. Olsen, K., Gilbert, J. & McEwan, K. (2006). Interpersonal sensitivities: Their link to mood, anger and gender. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory Research and Practice, 79, 37-51.

Items of the SENSITIVITY TO PUT-DOWN (1 & 2)

SENSITIVITY TO PUT-DOWN (1)

INSTRUCTIONS

In certain social situations people can exhibit different emotions. For example, being late for a meeting may cause some people to feel anxious or irritated. Below you will find a list of situations which may cause you to feel either anxious or distressed, or angry/irritated or some degree of both.

On the left hand side of the questions we would like you to indicate the degree of anxiety/level of distress you would feel for each situation.

After you have worked through the items once, we would like you to go through them again, this time indicating in the right hand column how angry, irritated and annoyed you would feel.

Please use the following scale.

1 = NOT AT ALL, 2 = SOMEWHAT, 3 = RATHER, 4 = VERY, 5 = EXTREMELY

SCALE
How anxious/distressed
 
How angry/irritable
1
2
3
4
5
a) Being criticised
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
b) Being shown up in public
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
c) Being called a derogatory name e.g. stupid/ugly
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
d) Being treated like a child
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
e) Someone pointing out your unattractive qualities
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
f) Being looked at with contempt
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
g) Someone getting the better of you
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
h) having your opinion dismissed as irrelevant
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
i) People reacting critically to what you say
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
j) Being seen as inferior
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
k) Being told you are ‘not good enough’
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
I) People running you down behind your back
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
m) Someone trying to make you look weak or stupid
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
n) People having a joke at your expense
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
o) Not being treated with respect
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
p) Someone picking on your faults
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
q) Being seen as a nuisance
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
r) Being told your performance is inadequate
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
s) Someone making fun of you in public
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
t) Someone making negative comments about your physical appearance
1
2
3
4
5

© Gilbert & Miles, 2000

SENSITIVITY TO PUT-DOWN (2)

INSTRUCTIONS

When we are criticized or feel put-down in social situations we sometimes attribute blame. For example, a critical comment might lead us to think that we are at fault in some way. We might also think that we are flawed or inferior. In other words we blame ourselves for the put-down. On the other hand we can also blame others and think they are unjust, unfair, or unkind. With this thought in mind please read the statements again and rate the degree to which you are likely to blame yourself (left hand side) and the degree to which you are likely to blame others (right hand side). Please use the following scale.

1 = NOT AT ALL, 2 = SOMEWHAT, 3 = RATHER, 4 = VERY, 5 = EXTREMELY

SCALE
Blame myself
 
Blame others
1
2
3
4
5
a) Being criticised
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
b) Being shown up in public
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
c) Being called a derogatory name e.g. stupid/ugly
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
d) Being treated like a child
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
e) Someone pointing out your unattractive qualities
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
f) Being looked at with contempt
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
g) Someone getting the better of you
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
h) having your opinion dismissed as irrelevant
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
i) People reacting critically to what you say
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
j) Being seen as inferior
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
k) Being told you are ‘not good enough’
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
I) People running you down behind your back
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
m) Someone trying to make you look weak or stupid
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
n) People having a joke at your expense
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
o) Not being treated with respect
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
p) Someone picking on your faults
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
q) Being seen as a nuisance
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
r) Being told your performance is inadequate
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
s) Someone making fun of you in public
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
t) Someone making negative comments about your physical appearance
1
2
3
4
5

Cite this article

Mohammed looti (2025). Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/sensitivity-to-put-down-1-2-2/

Mohammed looti. "Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 16 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/sensitivity-to-put-down-1-2-2/.

Mohammed looti. "Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/sensitivity-to-put-down-1-2-2/.

Mohammed looti (2025) 'Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/sensitivity-to-put-down-1-2-2/.

[1] Mohammed looti, "Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.

Mohammed looti. Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.

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