Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ): Copy of questionnaire and scoring instructions

Abstract

Freely available for use. The Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ; Becerra, Preece, & Gross, 2020) is a 16-item self-report measure of beliefs about emotions. Based on Ford and Gross’s (2019) theoretical framework, the EBQ assesses two main categories of beliefs about emotions: beliefs about the controllability of emotions and beliefs about the usefulness of emotions. These beliefs are assessed for negative emotions and positive emotions.

Full text

Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ)
Becerra, Preece, & Gross
This questionnaire asks about your beliefs about emotions in general. Some questions ask about
negative emotions (e.g., sadness, fear, and anger). Other questions ask about positive emotions
(e.g., happiness, joy, and amusement). For each statement, please rate how much you agree
or disagree that the statement is true in general. Circle one answer for each statement.
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1
Once people are experiencing negative
emotions, there is nothing they can do about
modifying them.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2
People cannot control their positive
emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
There is very little use for negative
emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4
Positive emotions are very unhelpful to
people.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
5
It doesn’t matter how hard people try, they
cannot change their negative emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
6
People cannot learn techniques to
effectively control their positive emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
7
People don’t need their negative emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
There is very little use for positive
emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
People cannot control their negative
emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
10
It doesn’t matter how hard people try, they
cannot change their positive emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
11
Negative emotions are harmful.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
12
People don’t need their positive emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
13
People cannot learn techniques to
effectively control their negative emotions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
14
Once people are experiencing positive
emotions, there is nothing they can do about
modifying them.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
15
The presence of negative emotions is a bad
thing for people.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
16
Positive emotions are harmful.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Strongly
disagree
Neither
agree nor
disagree
Strongly
agree
Name: Date:

EBQ Scoring Instructions
The EBQ (Becerra, Preece, & Gross, 2020) is a 16-item self-report measure of beliefs about
emotions. Based on Ford and Gross’s (2019) theoretical framework, the EBQ assesses two
main categories of beliefs about emotions: beliefs about the controllability of emotions and
beliefs about the usefulness of emotions. These beliefs are assessed for negative emotions and
positive emotions. Four subscale scores and three composite scores are designed to be derived
from the measure, with higher scores indicating more maladaptive beliefs about emotions (i.e.,
stronger beliefs that emotions are uncontrollable and useless). The table below describes each
of these scores and how to calculate them.
Subscale/composite
How to calculate
Content measured
Subscale scores
Negative-Controllability
Sum items 1, 5, 9, 13.
Beliefs about how uncontrollable
negative emotions are.
Positive-Controllability
Sum items 2, 6, 10, 14.
Beliefs about how uncontrollable
positive emotions are.
Negative-Usefulness
Sum items 3, 7, 11, 15.
Beliefs about how useless (e.g.,
undesirable, unimportant, or harmful)
negative emotions are.
Positive-Usefulness
Sum items 4, 8, 12, 16.
Beliefs about how useless (e.g.,
undesirable, unimportant, or harmful)
positive emotions are.
Composite scores
General-Controllability
Sum Negative-Controllability
and Positive-Controllability
subscales
Beliefs about how uncontrollable
negative and positive emotions are.
General-Usefulness
Sum Negative-Usefulness and
Positive-Usefulness subscales
Beliefs about how useless (e.g.,
undesirable, unimportant, or harmful)
negative and positive emotions are.
Total scale
Sum all items
Overall marker of maladaptive beliefs
about emotions; composite of beliefs
about how uncontrollable and useless
negative and positive emotions are.
Contacts:
• A/Prof. Rodrigo Becerra (rodrigo.becerra@uwa.edu.au).
• Dr. David Preece (david.preece@curtin.edu.au).
• Prof. James Gross (gross@stanford.edu).
References:
Becerra, R., Preece, D. A., & Gross, J. J. (2020). Assessing beliefs about emotions: Development and
validation of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire. PLOS ONE.
Ford, B. Q., & Gross, J. J. (2019). Why beliefs about emotion matter: An emotion-regulation
perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28, 74-81.