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Success and Failure Explanatory Style Questionnaire Test

Learn how you explain wins and setbacks in work and relationships, and how optimistic and in control you feel in about 9 minutes. Get focused, actionable results to strengthen motivation, confidence, and coping.
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Questions: 489 minutes
Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.
08:30
October 2, 2025
October 2, 2025
Material has been updated
21682 views
2567 completions
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Scale Explorer
How the Scales are Structured
example score
102/120
Interpersonal Optimism (IO)
Measures how positively and constructively a person explains successes and failures in relationships with others.
Lower optimism
Moderate optimism
Higher optimism
20 – 75: Lower optimism | 76 – 96: Moderate optimism | 97 – 120: Higher optimism
A score of 102 falls in the Higher optimism range, suggesting a generally positive and constructive explanatory style in interpersonal situations.
example score
63/168
Optimism in Achievement Situations (OiAS)
Measures how strongly a person tends to explain achievement successes by internal, stable causes that support confidence and persistence toward goals.
Low optimism
Moderate optimism
High optimism
28 – 110: Low optimism | 111 – 138: Moderate optimism | 139 – 168: High optimism
A score of 63 falls in the Low optimism range, suggesting the person less often attributes achievements to their own stable qualities, which may be linked to reduced confidence and persistence in goal pursuit.
example score
111/168
Optimism in Failure Situations (OiFS)
Measures how optimistically a person explains failures as temporary, specific, and potentially controllable rather than pervasive and fixed.
Low optimism
Moderate optimism
High optimism
28 – 104: Low optimism | 105 – 133: Moderate optimism | 134 – 168: High optimism
A score of 111 falls in the Moderate optimism range, suggesting a generally resilient but not consistently stable tendency to view failures as limited and manageable.
example score
63/120
Optimism in Success Situations (OiSS)
Measures how strongly a person explains successes through internal, stable, and broadly applicable causes (optimistic attribution in success situations).
Lower optimism
Moderate optimism
Higher optimism
20 – 79: Lower optimism | 80 – 105: Moderate optimism | 106 – 120: Higher optimism
A score of 63 falls in the Lower optimism range, suggesting successes are less consistently attributed to stable, personal, and generalizable factors.
example score
83/108
Control (C)
Measures how strongly a person believes they can influence the causes and outcomes of successes and failures.
Low control
Moderate control
High control
18 – 65: Low control | 66 – 88: Moderate control | 89 – 108: High control
A score of 83 indicates a moderately strong sense of control, suggesting the person often feels their actions can affect outcomes but may see some situations as outside their influence.
example score
77/96
Globality (G)
Globality measures whether a person explains successes and failures as broadly affecting many life areas or as limited to a specific situation.
Local
Moderate
Global
16 – 62: Local | 63 – 82: Moderate | 83 – 96: Global
A score of 77 indicates a moderately global explanatory style, meaning events are often interpreted as extending beyond the immediate situation but not consistently across all areas of life.
example score
38/84
Stability (S)
The Stability parameter measures whether you tend to explain successes and failures as caused by factors that are enduring over time or temporary and changeable.
More changeable
Mixed stability
More stable
14 – 53: More changeable | 54 – 69: Mixed stability | 70 – 84: More stable
A score of 38 falls in the More changeable range, suggesting you more often see the causes of events as temporary rather than lasting.
example score
143/288
Overall Optimism (OO)
Measures the extent to which a person tends to explain successes and failures in an overall optimistic versus pessimistic way.
Low optimism
Moderate optimism
High optimism
48 – 189: Low optimism | 190 – 232: Moderate optimism | 233 – 288: High optimism
A score of 143 falls in the Low optimism range, suggesting a more pessimistic attributional style overall when interpreting life events.
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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS
Who Usually Takes This Test?
People in self-development
41%OF USERS
They want to understand how their optimism and sense of control shape motivation after wins and setbacks.
Clients in counseling
34%OF USERS
They take it to pinpoint unhelpful explanations for failures and build a more constructive way to interpret events.
Teens and their parents
25%OF USERS
They use it to see how a teenager explains school and relationship outcomes and where support is most needed.
BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.
RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE
What You’ll See After You Finish the Test
Scale Results
— Explained Clearly
Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.
AI-Powered
Interpretation
A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.
Statistical
Comparison
See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.
Practical
Recommendations
Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.
AI-Detected
Insights
Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.
Discuss with
an AI Psychologist
Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.
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Used in 52+ countries
Benchmarking
See How You Compare
Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.
Optimism in Interpersonal Situations (OiIS)
Average
79.4
Normal range
64.9 — 93.9
min.
20
max.
120
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Optimism in achievement situations (Oias)
Average
102
Normal range
77.4 — 126.7
min.
28
max.
168
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Optimism in situations of failure (Oisof)
Average
120.3
Normal range
102.4 — 138.2
min.
28
max.
168
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Optimism in Situations of Success (OiSoS)
Average
62.2
Normal range
48.7 — 75.6
min.
20
max.
120
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Control Parameter (CP)
Average
56
Normal range
40.5 — 71.6
min.
18
max.
108
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Globality parameter (Gp)
Average
55
Normal range
43.3 — 66.6
min.
16
max.
96
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Stability parameter (Sp)
Average
37
Normal range
23.8 — 50.2
min.
14
max.
84
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
Overall Optimism Score (OOS)
Average
112.1
Normal range
77.6 — 146.7
min.
48
max.
288
majority
This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.
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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions left?

What does this questionnaire measure?
It assesses how successes and failures are explained, focusing on optimism and perceived control over outcomes. It distinguishes between positive and negative events and compares goal-related and relationship-related contexts.
How is perceived control evaluated?
Items ask whether the cause of an outcome is viewed as changeable through personal actions versus not changeable. Scores reflect how strongly outcomes are seen as controllable in different types of situations.
What is the structure of the questionnaire?
It contains 48 items covering positive and negative situations in achievement and interpersonal domains. Completion typically takes about 9 minutes.
Are there different forms for different age groups?
Yes, there is an adult form and a teenager form with age-appropriate situations. A brief version is available for quick screening and does not include the perceived control component.
How should the results be used?
Results support case formulation by identifying where explanations are more optimistic or pessimistic and where control is perceived as low or high. They can guide interventions aimed at reframing interpretations and strengthening active coping.
WHAT THE TEST MEASURES
About This Assessment
The style of explaining successes and failures, STONE Test

Success and Failure Explanatory Style Questionnaire Test

attributional styleoptimismpositive psychology

This self-report measure assesses how individuals explain the causes of positive and negative outcomes, including perceived optimism and perceived control over events. The Success and Failure Explanatory Style Questionnaire is intended to characterize explanatory style patterns that may inform case formulation and treatment planning. It is commonly used in clinical and research contexts to examine attributional tendencies related to achievement and interpersonal situations.

The instrument consists of 48 items and typically takes about 9 minutes to complete. Item content samples explanations for success and failure across contexts, supporting interpretation of how respondents attribute outcomes and how controllable they perceive contributing factors to be. The Success and Failure Explanatory Style Questionnaire is attributed to C. S. Dweck, B. Weiner, and M. E. P. Seligman.

Author: B. Weiner, C. S. Dweck, M. E. P. Seligman
Literature: Peterson, C., Semmel, A., von Baeyer, C., Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Seligman, M. E. P. The attributional style questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 1982.; Reivich, K., & Shatté, A. The resilience factor. Broadway Books. 2002.
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