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Irrational Beliefs Diagnostic Method (SPB)3

Irrational Beliefs Diagnostic Method (SPB) Test

Completed in about 10 minutes, the 50-question Irrational Beliefs Diagnostic Method (SPB) Test shows how you tend to respond to demands, setbacks, other people, and yourself. The profile can support focused self-reflection by revealing interpretations of adversity, tolerance of frustration, and expectations of yourself and others.

Questions: 5010 minutes

Irrational Beliefs Diagnostic Method: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Evaluative AttitudeEA

Evaluative Attitude measures the tendency to judge oneself and others globally versus focusing on specific behaviors or traits.

example score31/60

31/60Mixed styleexample score

10 – 29Global judgments

30 – 45Mixed style

46 – 60Nuanced evaluation

A score of 31 falls in the Mixed style range, suggesting you sometimes make overall judgments but can also shift to more specific, nuanced evaluations depending on the situation.

Frustration ToleranceFT

Frustration tolerance reflects how well a person can endure stress and setbacks without becoming overwhelmed.

example score45/60

45/60Moderateexample score

10 – 29Low

30 – 45Moderate

46 – 60High

A score of 45 indicates a moderate ability to tolerate frustration, suggesting generally adequate coping with obstacles that may still feel taxing under sustained stress.

Demandingness Toward OthersDTO

Measures how strongly a person feels others must meet high expectations versus allowing flexibility in what they demand from others.

example score33/60

33/60Balanced expectationsexample score

10 – 29Strong obligation

30 – 45Balanced expectations

46 – 60Flexible expectations

A score of 33 falls in the Balanced expectations range, suggesting generally realistic demands on others with some tendency to expect certain standards in stressful situations.

Self-DemandingnessSD

Assesses how rigidly a person demands obligation and high standards from themselves versus holding a more balanced view of personal responsibilities.

example score19/60

19/60Lowexample score

10 – 29Low

30 – 45Moderate

46 – 60High

A score of 19 falls in the Low range, suggesting stronger self-criticism and more unrealistic expectations toward oneself compared with a balanced sense of personal obligations.

CatastrophizingC

Assesses the tendency to interpret difficulties as extreme, unbearable events versus responding to them in a more rational, proportionate way.

example score39/60

39/60Moderate catastrophizingexample score

10 – 29Pronounced catastrophizing

30 – 45Moderate catastrophizing

46 – 60Rational appraisal

A score of 39 falls in the Moderate catastrophizing range, suggesting a mixed pattern where stressors may sometimes be viewed as more severe than they are, but not consistently.

Rationality of ThinkingRoT

Assesses the overall degree to which a person’s thinking is guided by rational attitudes versus irrational beliefs.

example score267/300

267/300High rationalityexample score

50 – 149Low rationality

150 – 229Moderate rationality

230 – 300High rationality

A score of 267 falls in the High rationality range, suggesting a predominance of rational attitudes and a relatively lower influence of persistent irrational beliefs.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Anxious self-reflectors

41%OF USERS

People dealing with anxiety, low mood, or stress who want to understand which thinking patterns are intensifying their emotions.

Therapy and coaching clients

34%OF USERS

People already in counseling, therapy, or coaching who need a clear starting point for what beliefs to work on first.

Psychology professionals

25%OF USERS

Therapists, psychologists, and trainers who use a quick questionnaire to identify irrational beliefs and plan targeted interventions.

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

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.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Evaluative AttitudeEA

You?

Average25.3

Typical rangeTypical18.4 – 32.1

Possible10 – 60

Frustration ToleranceFT

You?

Average30.5

Typical rangeTypical23.2 – 37.9

Possible10 – 60

Obligation Towards OthersOTO

You?

Average30.8

Typical rangeTypical21.5 – 40.2

Possible10 – 60

Obligation Toward OneselfOTO

You?

Average34.4

Typical rangeTypical26.2 – 42.6

Possible10 – 60

CatastrophizingC

You?

Average46.5

Typical rangeTypical39.2 – 53.7

Possible10 – 60

Degree of Rational ThinkingDoRT

You?

Average222.9

Typical rangeTypical188.9 – 256.9

Possible50 – 300

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

People hold different beliefs. We are interested in your opinion regarding the statements below. Please select the response option that best reflects your level of agreement with each statement.

- Completely agree
- Mostly agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Mostly disagree
- Completely disagree
- Completely agree
- Mostly agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Mostly disagree
- Completely disagree
- Completely agree
- Mostly agree
- Slightly agree
- Slightly disagree
- Mostly disagree
- Completely disagree

These are 3 of the 50 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Irrational Beliefs Diagnostic Method (SPB) Test - Description and methodology of the test

irrational beliefs

cognitive distortions

cbt

rational-emotional therapy

People who want to examine rigid demands, harsh self-evaluation, or intense interpretations of adversity may find the Irrational Beliefs Diagnostic Method (SPB) Test useful for structured comparison. This irrational beliefs questionnaire lets them compare how they evaluate themselves and others, tolerate frustration, and interpret difficult situations. It is intended for people who want a structured view of rigid thinking around responsibility.

What This Assessment Measures

The questionnaire examines beliefs about worth, obligation, frustration, adversity, and responsibility. The irrational beliefs profile contrasts flexible interpretations with rigid, global ones.

Its displayed dimensions are:

Evaluative Attitude (10-60) distinguishes global and specific judgments: Global judgments 10-29; Mixed style 30-45; Nuanced evaluation 46-60.
Frustration Tolerance (10-60) assesses stress tolerance: Low 10-29 indicates difficulty coping; Moderate 30-45; High 46-60 indicates greater tolerance.
Demandingness Toward Others (10-60) measures excessive demands: Strong obligation 10-29; Balanced expectations 30-45; Flexible expectations 46-60.
Self-Demandingness (10-60) measures excessive self-demands: Low 10-29 indicates self-criticism and unrealistic expectations; Moderate 30-45; High 46-60 indicates rational responsibility.
Catastrophizing (10-60) measures adverse events as severe or unbearable: Pronounced catastrophizing 10-29; Moderate catastrophizing 30-45; Rational appraisal 46-60.
Rationality of Thinking (50-300) measures rational thinking: Low rationality 50-149 signals irrational beliefs; Moderate rationality 150-229; High rationality 230-300 signals rational attitudes.

Methodology and Evidence Base

The response format uses six ordered choices, from completely or strongly agree to completely or strongly disagree, with slight and mostly positions between them. Items address self-worth, responsibility, approval, promises, public behavior, perceived awfulness, and what people should or should not do. The result therefore reflects patterns across situations rather than any statement.

Responses are combined into a profile rather than interpreted item by item. The online version displays scale bands but does not state a hand-scoring key, published norms, reliability estimates, or clinical cutoffs for this version. The version does not explain how answers contribute to each scale.

This irrational beliefs test is conceptually consistent with the Survey of Personal Beliefs (SPB; Demaria et al., 1989), but is not presented as a direct adaptation. Nottingham (1992) extended validation work in psychiatric inpatients, Watson et al. (2008) examined psychometric structure and shortening, and Ellis (1994) provides the rational-emotive framework.

Because answers are self-reported, current stress, self-awareness, and response bias can affect the profile; read it as a prompt for reflection rather than a diagnosis or standalone clinical conclusion.

Author: Aaron T. Beck, Albert Ellis

Literature:

Demaria, T. P., Kassinove, H., & Dill, C. A. (1989). Psychometric properties of the Survey of Personal Beliefs: A rational-emotive measure of irrational thinking. Journal of Personality Assessment, 53(2), 329-341. 10.1207/s15327752jpa5302_10
Nottingham, E. J. (1992). Use of the Survey of Personal Beliefs Scale: Further validation of a measure of irrational beliefs with psychiatric inpatients. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 10(4), 207-217. 10.1007/BF01062375
Watson, P. J., Simmons, N. M., Weathington, B. L., O’Leary, B. J., & Culhane, S. E. (2008). Psychometric analysis and tentative shortening of Survey of Personal Beliefs. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 27(4), 201-212. 10.1007/s10942-007-0077-y
Ellis, A. (1994). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy: Comprehensive Method of Treating Human Disturbances (Revised and Updated ed.). Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publishing Group.

Updated: 2025-10-02