Modified Differential Emotions Scale [mDES-20]

Description

The Modified Differential Emotions Scale (mDES-20) is a self-report instrument designed to assess the intensity and frequency of different positive and negative emotional experiences. Its main purpose is to capture an individual’s emotional experience and to examine the relationship between positive and negative affective states.

The scale includes a total of 20 emotion groups. According to the source document, 10 groups represent positive emotions and 8 groups represent negative emotions, while two additional emotions are not included in the corresponding total scores.

Scale Analysis

Participants are asked to reflect on their experiences during the previous two weeks and rate the strongest experience they had in relation to each of the emotions included in the scale. Responses are provided on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 to 5, where 1 corresponds to “never” and 5 to “always.”

The emotions included in the scale are amusement, awe, contentment, gratitude, hope, love, pride, sexual desire, joy, interest, anger, shame, contempt, disgust, embarrassment, guilt, disappointment, fear, surprise, and sympathy.

This structure allows positive and negative emotional experiences to be assessed separately and also permits a broader examination of an individual’s emotional profile.

Objective

The main objective of the mDES-20 is to quantitatively assess the degree to which an individual experiences different positive and negative emotions. It can also be used to examine the relative predominance of positive over negative emotions and to describe broader patterns of emotional experience.

The scale may be used in research contexts examining emotional well-being, psychological adjustment, quality of life, and other aspects of positive and negative emotional functioning.

Scoring

According to the source document, positive and negative emotion scores are calculated separately and may be classified into five categories: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high.

For positive emotions, the classification is reported as follows:

9–12: Very low
13–20: Low
21–36: Moderate
37–42: High
43–45: Very high

For negative emotions, the classification is reported as follows:

8: Very low
9–10: Low
11–23: Moderate
24–30: High
31–40: Very high

When calculating the positive emotion score, awe is not included, whereas embarrassment is not included in the negative emotion score.

Higher scores on the positive emotion subscale indicate more frequent or more intense positive emotional experiences, while higher scores on the negative emotion subscale indicate more frequent or more intense negative emotional experiences.

Validity

The source document states that both the positive emotion subscale and the negative emotion subscale demonstrate satisfactory validity.

The distinction between positive and negative emotional experiences makes the mDES-20 useful for examining different dimensions of emotional functioning and for comparing changes in participants’ emotional states over time.