SENSATION SEEKING (SS): This factor seems to resemble what is called "Surgency" or "Vigor" in other tests. In the Trait Form of the MAACL it does correlate moderately with the established measures of a sensation seeking trait. Sample adjectives included are: active, aggressive, daring, enthusiastic, merry, wild, and (keyed negatively) bored, mild, tame.

The two summary scores are: Dysphoria (Dys= A+D+H) and Positive Affect and Sensation Seeking (PASS=PA+SS). Future research may indicate that ratio, additive, or subtractive scores using the standard scores provided for the seven scales are useful. A diagnostic study has indicated that the score D-PA is particularly effective in discriminating patients with affective disorders from other patients and normals.

ANXIETY (A): afraid, fearful, frightened, panicky, shaky, tense.

DEPRESSION (D): alone, destroyed, forlorn, lonely, lost, miserable, rejected, suffering.

HOSTILITY (H): annoyed, complaining, critical, cross, cruel, disagreeable, disgusted, furious, hostile, incensed, mad, mean.

POSITIVE AFFECT (PA): free, friendly, good, happy, interested, joyful, loving, peaceful, pleasant, polite, satisfied, secure, tender, understanding, whole.

The MAACL-R Scales

Factor analyses revealed that positive affect forms separate dimensions from negative affects. Positive affect is more than the absence of negative affect and the two may vary over any period of time and sometimes independently. Depression, for instance, in its earlier stages may be revealed by an absence of positive affect without any conspicuous evidence of negative affect. The five basic scales and two summary scores are listed below with sample adjectives.