Scale Overview & Construct
10-item scale measuring belief in the potential for speech and written words to cause lasting psychological harm.
Psychometric Instrument
Likert Self-Report
Dimensional Breakdown
Server-Side Validated
Purpose & Measurement Objectives
10-item scale measuring belief in the potential for speech and written words to cause lasting psychological harm. Based on your answers to its 10 items, you'll get a single overall score showing how strongly this pattern applies to you right now. Your result puts a number and a pattern to something you may have only sensed in a general way before.
Instrument Specifications
Target Population
Teachers, Educators & Faculty
Administration Format
Self-Administered
Intended Domain / Purpose
Research & Empirical Study
Recommended Age Bracket
Adults (18+ yrs)
Duration & Pacing
5 Minutes (Self-Paced)
Access License
Open Creative Commons
Academic Citation & Instrument Provenance
When referencing this instrument in research, academic theses, or clinical institutional audits, please cite the original author publication:
License: CC BY 4.0. Citation: Lovett & Bhatt (2025), Words Can Harm Scale, PsyArXiv.
Governance, Boundaries & Ethical Use
Construct Boundaries & Interpretive Limitations
Imported from the OpenScales open item-bank project. This specific digital implementation has not been independently clinically validated by PsiQ — scores are for self-reflection, research, and educational purposes only.
License: CC BY 4.0. Citation: Lovett & Bhatt (2025), Words Can Harm Scale, PsyArXiv.