Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)

By /

Abstract

The Sensitivity to Put-Down (SPD) scale, developed by Gilbert and Miles (2000), is a comprehensive psychological instrument designed to assess an individual’s emotional and attributional responses to perceived social criticism, devaluation, or “put-down” situations. The scale consists of two main parts, yielding four distinct subscores: the degree of distress/anxiety, the level of anger/irritability experienced, and the propensity for self-blame versus other-blame following the critical event. The design utilized a methodology adapted from Arrindell et al. (1990) to measure both felt emotions and cognitive responses concurrently. Initial psychometric testing demonstrated strong internal consistency, with alpha reliability coefficients exceeding 0.90 across all four subscales, establishing the SPD as a reliable measure for studying constructs related to shame, social anxiety, depression, and anger.

Keywords

Sensitivity to Put-Down, Social Criticism, Shame, Blame Attribution, Anger, Distress, Social Threat, Social anxiety, Gilbert & Miles.

Authors

Paul Gilbert, J. N. V. Miles

[quads id=5]

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sensitivity to Put-Down (SPD) scale is to systematically measure an individual’s subjective emotional reactivity to common scenarios involving social devaluation, criticism, or disrespect. By presenting a standardized set of provocative social situations, the scale quantifies the intensity of two distinct emotional clusters: anxiety/distress and anger/irritability.

A secondary, yet crucial, purpose of the scale is to assess the characteristic attribution style adopted by the individual in response to these perceived slights. The SPD differentiates between the tendency to internalize blame (self-blame, often linked to feelings of shame or inferiority) and the tendency to externalize blame (other-blame, often linked to feelings of anger or grievance).

Construct

The Sensitivity to Put-Down construct is rooted in the understanding that individuals differ significantly in their emotional and cognitive processing of social threats, particularly those that undermine social status or self-worth. The scale operationalizes this sensitivity across four dimensions, which together contribute to an overall understanding of interpersonal vulnerability:

  • Distress/Anxiety: Measures the extent to which a person experiences fear, worry, or upset when subjected to social criticism.
  • Anger/Irritability: Measures the extent to which a person experiences frustration, annoyance, or hostility in response to the put-down situation.
  • Self-Blame: Measures the tendency to attribute the cause of the put-down or the resulting negative feelings internally (e.g., believing oneself to be flawed or inferior).
  • Other-Blame: Measures the tendency to attribute the cause of the put-down externally (e.g., believing the critic is unjust, unkind, or unfair).

Validity

While the initial descriptive text does not provide specific coefficients for criterion or structural validity, the scale was developed based on a thorough scan of clinical literature and input from clinicians regarding situations commonly cited by patients as hurtful or upsetting. This rigorous item generation process suggests strong initial face and content validity. Subsequent research, as indicated by the foundational reference, established the scale’s construct validity by demonstrating significant relationships between high Sensitivity to Put-Down scores and measures of shame, social anxiety, depression, and anger, confirming its utility in clinical psychology research focused on interpersonal sensitivities.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Sensitivity to Put-Down scale is considered excellent. The authors reported that the alpha reliability coefficients (Cronbach, 1951) for each of the four derived subscales were exceptionally high, all registering above 0.90. This indicates that the 20 items within the scale are highly homogenous and reliably measure the intended underlying constructs (Distress, Anger, Self-Blame, and Other-Blame).

Factor Analysis

The source description does not explicitly detail the outcomes of a formal exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis. However, the structure of the measure clearly implies a multidimensional model where emotional responses (Distress vs. Anger) and cognitive responses (Self-Blame vs. Other-Blame) operate as distinct, internally consistent factors. The high Cronbach’s Alpha scores support the coherence of these four intended subscales.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, psychological assessment of social sensitivity and attributional style.

Format: A 20-item instrument requiring two separate passes or administrations. Responses are provided using a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Original English (as presented in Gilbert & Miles, 2000).

Population Group: General and clinical populations, used primarily in research contexts to study psychopathology linked to interpersonal threat.

Age Group: Typically utilized with adult populations.

Population Details: Items represent a representative sample of common social criticisms and put-down experiences derived from clinical observations and literature reviews.

Test Methodology: Participants rate the 20 situations twice for emotional response (Distress/Anxiety then Anger/Irritability) and subsequently rate the same 20 situations twice for causal attribution (Blame Self then Blame Others). The final score is the simple sum of item ratings for each of the four resulting subscales.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Social Defeat, Attribution Theory, Depression, Anxiety, Irritability, Gilbert, Miles, Internal Reliability.

[quads id=5]

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content. Primary affiliation is associated with the University of Derby (as per the source URL: www.derby.ac.uk/).

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and copyrighted by Gilbert & Miles in 2000. It is generally cited in academic research and may be available for non-commercial research use, but specific licensing fees or formal permissions must be sought from the primary author, Paul Gilbert, or the University of Derby, depending on current policy.

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.

[quads id=5]

Items of the Sensitivity to Put-Down (1 & 2)

Instructions for Sensitivity to Put-Down (1) – Emotional Response:

In certain social situations people can exhibit different emotions. 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
0) 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

Instructions for Sensitivity to Put-Down (2) – Blame Attribution:

When we are criticised 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. 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
0) 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/

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

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

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/.

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

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

Scroll to Top