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Family Emotional Communication Scale3

Family Emotional Communication Scale Test

In about 6 minutes, it helps clarify how your family of origin shaped emotional bonds and communication. With 30 items, it quickly flags patterns to guide diagnosis and focused therapy goals.

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Questions: 306 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

22,892 views

1,498 completions

1,275 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

11/15

Induction of Anxiety (IoA)

Measures the degree to which parents emphasized potential dangers, setbacks, and difficulties, fostering anxious expectations in the child.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 10: Moderate | 11 – 15: High

A score of 11 falls in the High range, suggesting recollections of a family atmosphere where potential problems were frequently highlighted, which may have promoted anxious anticipation.

example score

5/9

Family Perfectionism (FP)

Measures the extent to which the family environment emphasized very high standards and a drive for perfection during upbringing.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 6: Moderate | 7 – 9: High

A score of 5 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting some emphasis on high standards in the family without it being a consistently dominant theme.

example score

4/9

Overinvolvement (O)

This scale measures the degree of parental hyper-involvement marked by excessive caretaking, monitoring, and control over the child’s life.

Low

Moderate

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 9: Moderate

A score of 4 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency toward parental over-involvement and control without necessarily being pervasive.

example score

6/9

External Well-Being (EWB)

External Well-being measures the tendency of a family to present itself as problem-free by minimizing, hiding, or denying difficulties to others.

Open/realistic presentation

Some image management

Strong concealment tendency

0 – 3: Open/realistic presentation | 4 – 6: Some image management | 7 – 9: Strong concealment tendency

A score of 6 suggests a moderate tendency to smooth over or downplay family difficulties in front of others, with some preference for maintaining a positive outward image.

example score

4/9

Negative Focus (NF)

Measures the extent to which the family tended to dwell on negative emotions and become absorbed in each other’s negative moods.

Low fixation

Moderate fixation

High fixation

0 – 3: Low fixation | 4 – 6: Moderate fixation | 7 – 9: High fixation

A score of 4 suggests a moderate tendency for the family atmosphere to linger on negative feelings at times, without being consistently dominated by them.

example score

13/18

Elimination of Emotions (EoE)

Measures the degree to which emotional expression—especially negative emotions—was discouraged or suppressed in the family of origin.

Open expression

Mixed messages

Emotion elimination

0 – 5: Open expression | 6 – 11: Mixed messages | 12 – 18: Emotion elimination

A score of 13 falls in the Emotion elimination range, suggesting emotions were often minimized or discouraged, which can be associated with a habit of holding feelings back.

example score

12/21

Criticism (C)

Measures how often a child’s negative emotions or mistakes were met with criticism or comparison to other children in the family.

Low criticism

Moderate criticism

High criticism

0 – 4: Low criticism | 5 – 10: Moderate criticism | 11 – 21: High criticism

A score of 12 falls in the High criticism range, suggesting that expressions of negative emotion or mistakes were often met with criticism or comparison in the family context.

example score

63/90

Overall Family Dysfunction Score (OFDS)

Measures the overall degree of disruption in emotional communication and relational functioning in the family of origin.

Low dysfunction

Moderate dysfunction

High dysfunction

0 – 35: Low dysfunction | 36 – 57: Moderate dysfunction | 58 – 90: High dysfunction

A score of 63 falls in the High dysfunction range, suggesting more frequent or intense disruptions in family emotional communication that may have shaped current relational patterns.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Therapy-ready self explorers

41%OF USERS

Adults starting or considering therapy who want to understand how their family-of-origin emotional patterns still affect relationships, mood, or self-esteem.

Clients stuck in relationship cycles

34%OF USERS

People noticing repeated conflict, distancing, or people-pleasing in partnerships or friendships who suspect these habits were learned at home.

Adult children of tense homes

25%OF USERS

Adults who grew up with high conflict, silence, criticism, or emotional neglect and want clearer language for what felt “off” in the family atmosphere.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

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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.

Inducing Anxiety (IA)

Average

7.5

Normal range

5.5 — 9.6

min.

max.

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Family Perfectionism (FP)

Average

2.6

Normal range

1 — 4.1

min.

max.

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Hypervigilance (H)

Average

2.4

Normal range

0.9 — 4

min.

max.

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External Well-being (EW)

Average

2.6

Normal range

1.2 — 4

min.

max.

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Fixation on the Negative (FotN)

Average

5.6

Normal range

4.4 — 6.8

min.

max.

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Eliminating Emotions (EE)

Average

10.8

Normal range

7.5 — 14

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Criticism (C)

Average

13.7

Normal range

10.9 — 16.5

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Overall Family Dysfunction Score (OFDS)

Average

48.7

Normal range

35.2 — 62.2

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Indicate your agreement or disagreement with each of the statements below based on your experience of living in your family of origin. For statements referring to mother and father, respond affirmatively if the statement accurately describes the behavior of at least one parent.

- Definitely yes
- Probably yes
- Probably no
- Definitely no
- Definitely yes
- Probably yes
- Probably no
- Definitely no
- Definitely yes
- Probably yes
- Probably no
- Definitely no

These are 3 of the 30 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Family Emotional Communications, FEC Test

Family Emotional Communication Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

family beliefs

family

In clinical practice, it is often helpful to clarify how an adult client recalls the emotional climate and interaction patterns in their family of origin. The Family Emotional Communication Scale is a brief self-report measure intended to screen perceived strengths and difficulties in family emotional communication.

The respondent rates statements about family interactions and emotional exchanges, which can support case formulation and guide treatment planning when family-of-origin dynamics are clinically relevant. Developed by John H. Gottman and James A. Coan, the Family Emotional Communication Scale includes 30 items and typically requires about 6 minutes to complete.

Author: James A. Coan, John H. Gottman

Literature: Halberstadt, A. G., Denham, S. A., & Dunsmore, J. C. Affective social competence. Social Development. 2001.