World Assumptions Scale (WAS) Test
Understand how stress or trauma may have shifted core beliefs about safety, fairness, and self worth in about 6 minutes. Pinpoint 32 key belief areas to guide targeted therapy and support recovery from trauma and depression.
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Scale Explorer
How the Scales are Structured
DATA-BASED USER COHORTS
Who Usually Takes This Test?
BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.
RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE
Benchmarking
See How You Compare
Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Degree of luck/favorability (Dol)
Average
4.6
Normal range
4 — 5.3
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
General Attitude Toward the Kindness of the World (GATtKotW)
Average
3.5
Normal range
2.5 — 4.4
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Belief About One's Own Worth (BAOOW)
Average
2.6
Normal range
1.7 — 3.5
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
General Attitude Towards the Meaningfulness of the World (GATtMotW)
Average
3
Normal range
2.3 — 3.7
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
The Benevolence of the World (TBotW)
Average
4
Normal range
3.2 — 4.8
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
The Kindness of People (TKoP)
Average
3
Normal range
2.4 — 3.7
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Justice of the World (JotW)
Average
4.2
Normal range
3.4 — 4.9
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Controllability of the world (Cotw)
Average
3.3
Normal range
2.5 — 4
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Randomness as a Principle (RaaP)
Average
2.7
Normal range
2 — 3.5
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
The Value of the Self (TVotS)
Average
4.2
Normal range
3.5 — 4.9
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Degree of self-control (Dos)
Average
2.3
Normal range
1.7 — 2.9
min.
1
max.
6
Majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.
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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this questionnaire measure?
It measures core beliefs about the world and the self, including safety, fairness, predictability, self-worth, and perceived control. It helps identify which assumptions may have shifted after severe stress or trauma.
Who is this questionnaire intended for?
It is intended for adolescents and adults in clinical or research settings, especially when trauma-related symptoms or depression are being assessed. It can also be used as a baseline measure before and after treatment.
How long does it take and what is the format?
It includes 32 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Responses are given by selecting the option that best matches the respondent’s current view.
How should the items be answered?
Each item should be answered based on current beliefs rather than past beliefs or what seems socially acceptable. If unsure, the closest available option should be selected.
How are results used in practice?
Results highlight belief domains that may be associated with distress and can help guide treatment targets. Scores do not provide a diagnosis and should be interpreted with other clinical information.
WHAT THE TEST MEASURES
About This Assessment
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World Assumptions Scale (WAS) Test - Symptoms and Signs
After exposure to significant stress or trauma, an individual’s core beliefs about the self and the world may shift. The World Assumptions Scale (WAS) is a self-report measure designed to assess foundational assumptions such as perceived benevolence and justice of the world, personal worth, and beliefs about control and predictability. It is commonly used to inform clinical formulation and to support research on cognitive appraisals associated with psychological distress.
Developed by R. Janoff-Bulman, the instrument consists of 32 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Results from the World Assumptions Scale (WAS) can help identify domains of disrupted assumptions that may be clinically relevant in presentations involving trauma-related symptoms, depression, or adjustment difficulties, and can be used to guide case conceptualization and treatment planning.
Author: R. Janoff-Bulman
Literature: Janoff-Bulman, R. Shattered assumptions: Towards a new psychology of trauma. Free Press. 1992.; Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Breugelmans, S. M., Chasiotis, A., & Sam, D. L. Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications. Cambridge University Press. 2011.
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