Novaco Provocation Inventory

Instructions:
The items on the scale describe situations that are related to anger arousal. For each of the items, please rate the degree to which the incident described by the item would anger or provoke you by using the following scale:

1
very little		 2
little		 3
a moderate amount		 4
much		 5
very much

Use the same scale for each of the items. try to imagine the incident actually happening to you, and then indicate the extent to which it would have made you angry by scoring the answer sheet.

In actual situations, the degree of anger that you would experience certainly would depend on other factors that are not specified in the items (such as, what kind of day you were having, exactly who was involved in the situation, how the act occurred, etc.). This scale is concerned with your general reactions, and so the details of particular situations have been omitted. Please do your best to rate your responses in this general fashion.

1. You are waiting to be served at a restaurant. Fifteen minutes have gone by, and you still haven't even received a glass of water. very little little a moderate amount much very much
2. Being overcharged by a repairman who has you over a barrel. very little little a moderate amount much very much
3. Being singled out for correction, when the actions of others go unnoticed. very little little a moderate amount much very much
4. You are trying to rest or read, but there are children nearby who are making a lot of noise while playing. very little little a moderate amount much very much
5. Being called a liar. very little little a moderate amount much very much
6. You are in the midst of a dispute, and the other person calls you a "stupid jerk." very little little a moderate amount much very much
7. Hearing that a person has been deprived of his/her constitutional rights. very little little a moderate amount much very much
8. Someone borrows your car, consumes 1/3 of a tank of gas, and doesn't replace it or compensate you for it. very little little a moderate amount much very much
9. People who think that they are always right. very little little a moderate amount much very much
10. You unpack an appliance that you have just bought, plug it in, and discover that it doesn't work. very little little a moderate amount much very much
11. Struggling to carry four cups of coffee to your table at a cafeteria, someone bumps into you, spilling the coffee. very little little a moderate amount much very much
12. Getting your car stuck in the mud or snow. very little little a moderate amount much very much
13. You are typing a report, hurrying to make a deadline, and the computer crashes. very little little a moderate amount much very much
14. Employers who take advantage of their employees' need for work by demanding more than they have a right to. very little little a moderate amount much very much
15. Watching someone bully another person who is physically smaller than he is. very little little a moderate amount much very much
16. Persons in authority who refuse to listen to your point of view. very little little a moderate amount much very much
17. You have hung up your clothes, but someone knocks them to the floor and fails to pick them up. very little little a moderate amount much very much
18. Being stood-up for a date. very little little a moderate amount much very much
19. Noise and disorder at the dinner table. very little little a moderate amount much very much
20. You are driving to pick up a friend at the airport and are forced to wait for a long freight train to pass. very little little a moderate amount much very much
21. You are driving along at 45 mph, and the guy behind you is right on your bumper. very little little a moderate amount much very much
22. You are talking to someone and they don't answer you. very little little a moderate amount much very much
23. Hitting your finger with a hammer. very little little a moderate amount much very much
24. Newspapers slanting the news against persons in political office to make them look bad to the public. very little little a moderate amount much very much
25. You have made arrangements to go somewhere with a person, who backs off at the last minute and leaves you hanging. very little little a moderate amount much very much
26. Being joked about or teased. very little little a moderate amount much very much
27. Your car is stalled at a traffic light, and the guy behind you keeps blowing his horn. very little little a moderate amount much very much
28. Seeing somebody berate another person to excess. very little little a moderate amount much very much
29. Being pushed or shoved by someone in an argument. very little little a moderate amount much very much
30. You accidentally make the wrong king of turn in a parking lot. As you get out of your car someone yells at you, "Where did you learn to drive?" very little little a moderate amount much very much
31. Someone who pretends to be something that he is not. very little little a moderate amount much very much
32. You walk out to the parking lot, and you discover that your car has been towed away by the police. very little little a moderate amount much very much
33. Working hard on a project and getting a poor evaluation. very little little a moderate amount much very much
34. Someone makes a mistake and blames it on you. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
35. You get in your car to drive to work, and the car won't start. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
36. Being hounded by a salesperson from the moment you walk into a store. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
37. Being given an unnecessarily difficult exam when you need a good grade. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
38. You are deprived of a promotion to which you are entitled because you haven't played up to the right people. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
39. Someone tries to make you feel guilty. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
40. You are trying to concentrate, but a person near you is tapping his foot. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
41. Getting punched in the mouth. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
42. When you are criticized in front of others for something that you have done. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
43. You lend someone an important book or tool, and he fails to return it. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
44. In the parking lot, the person whose car is next to yours swings open his door, chipping the paint from your car. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
45. Getting cold soup or vegetables in a restaurant. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
46. Someone who is always trying to get "one-up" on you. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
47. You have had a busy day, and the person you live with starts to complain about how you forgot to do something that you agreed to do. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
48. People who constantly brag about themselves. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
49. Being thrown into a swimming pool with your clothes on. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
50. Banging your shins against a piece of furniture. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
51. You are trying to discuss something important with your mate or partner, who isn't giving you a chance to express your feelings. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
52. Being forced to do something you don't want to do. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
53. You are in a discussion with someone who persists in arguing about a topic he knows very little about. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
54. losing a game you wanted to win. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
55. Being told to "go to hell." very little little a moderate amount much very much  
56. Someone making fun of the clothes you are wearing. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
57. Someone sticking his nose into a argument between you and someone else. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
58. You are walking along on a rainy day, and a car drives past, slashing you with water from the street. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
59. Acts of prejudice against a minority or ethnic group. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
60. Someone spits at you. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
61. You need to get somewhere quickly, but the car in front of you is going 25 mph in a 45 mph zone, and you can't pass. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
62. Being talked about behind you back. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
63. Stepping on a gob of chewing gum. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
64. Hearing that a very wealthy person has paid zero income tax. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
65. You have just cleaned up an area and organized the things in it, but someone comes along and messes it up. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
66. Someone ripping off your automobile antenna. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
67. You are involved in watching a TV program, and someone comes up and switches the channel. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
68. Being told by an employer or teacher that you have done poor work. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
69. You are in a ball game, and one of your opponents is unnecessarily rough. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
70. Being mocked by a small group of people as you pass them. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
71. Acts of economic exploitation whereby people in business make excessive profits by taking advantage of need and demand. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
72. You are in a theater ticket line, and someone cuts in front of you. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
73. Being forced to do something in a way that someone else thinks it should be done. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
74. You use your last 20 cents to make a phone call, but you are disconnected before you finish dialing. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
75. In a hurry to get somewhere, you tear a good pair of slacks on a sharp object. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
76. Being misled and deceived by someone holding political office. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
77. You are out for an evening with someone who indirectly conveys to you that you just don't measure up to his or her standards. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
78. While washing your favorite cup, you drop it, and it breaks. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
79. Children leaving their toys and play items scattered about the house on the floor and furniture. very little little a moderate amount much very much  
80. Discovering you deliberately were sold defective merchandise. very little little a moderate amount much very much  

Your score:

Scoring Your Test:
If your total score is 220 or below, you are doing pretty well and do not have a real problem with anger (if you have answered the questions honestly!). Scores between 220 and 280 indicate that you have a moderate, but significant, anger problem. If your score is above 280, your anger is a sever problem and you need to do something about it immediately.

The above Novaco Provocation Inventory is taken from pages 14 through 18 of Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men and is therein credited to Raymond W. Novaco.

Harbin, Thomas J., Ph. D., Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men, Marlowe & Company, 2000, ISBN 1-56924-621-1.