Test to know if a person is PAS (Aron test)

The Aron test offers us basic guidance about our sensitivity. The term high sensitivity, coined in the 1990s by psychologist Elain Aron, has continued to gain strength and relevance over the years. Thus, according to this approach, it is estimated that about 20% of the population could have this personality trait.

Introversion, kindness, high sensitivity are leading dimensions in the field of personal growth in recent times. If this is so, it is basically due to that need of the human being to know ourselves a little more, to find a concrete explanation for our way of being, to feel and interpret the world. However, there is one aspect that we must understand.

It is necessary to go beyond labels. Actually, None of us are categorically introverts or extroverts; not 100% PAS either. We are all within a spectrum, each one has their nuances, their needs and particularities. What’s more, there are also extroverts with high sensitivity, people where this extroversion harmonizes with the taste for contemplation and the pleasure of silence.

Tests, scales, personality tests, questionnaires, etc. are resources to identify the presence or absence of certain dimensions. However, these instruments are mere guidance and will never 100% define what we are. Therefore, let’s see What is the test developed by Dr. Elain Aron to detect highly sensitive people?.

Aron test to identify highly sensitive people PAS

The Aron test basically consists of 27 questions posed as a yes/no self-assessment.. It is a simple scale, quick to carry out and does not require any additional resources. It should be noted that this test appears in his book The gift of high sensitivity, written by Dr. Elain Aron herself.

However, be that as it may, it is one of the few resources we currently have and the one that a large part of the population turns to to assess whether one fits (or not) the profile of the highly sensitive person.

Likewise, something that other interesting studies such as the one carried out by Dr. Kathy A. Smolewsk, from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in 2006, the thing is The Aron test is not only valid, but it perfectly includes those 4 dimensions that define high sensitivity.

They are the following.

The areas measured by the Aron test

The characteristics that define highly sensitive people (HSP) can be grouped into 4 very specific areas. From these, the questions raised in the 1997 Aron scale emerge.

Way of processing information. This dimension defines a very particular way of perceiving what surrounds us. The highly sensitive person pays a lot of attention to the details, to every nuance. Each stimulus collected through the senses is meticulously processed, valued, compared, meditated…Emotionality. High sensitivity causes many of these stimuli to be processed emotionally and we react to them intensely (greater happiness, greater joy, greater disappointment, fear, sadness…). The world of subtleties. This area is related to the first. The PAS personality does not miss any detail of their environment. You immediately notice that unusual expression on your co-worker, that singular light coming through the window, that object that wasn’t there last week…Overstimulation. Another characteristic dimension of PAS is their level of emotional and physical overstimulation. They are more sensitive to pain, temperature changes, smells, stress, sound…

What are the questions of the Aron Test?

The Aron test or HSPS scale consists of 27 items (questions). It is a self-assessment, that is, we can do it ourselves.

If we get 17 positive answers we are likely to be highly sensitive. More than 20 would point out with more certainty that we are PAS. These are the questions from the Aron scale developed in 1997.

Questionnaire

Do you feel easily overwhelmed when you are in a high-stimulation environment? Do you tend to notice subtleties in your surroundings? Are you affected by other people’s moods? Do you tend to be more sensitive to pain? Do you need to retreat for a few hours? to your bed or a dark room when you’ve been in a stressful place? Are you particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine? Are you overwhelmed by things like bright lights, strong smells, rough fabrics, the sound of traffic, etc.? Do you feel like you have a rich and complex inner life? Are you bothered by loud noises? Are you moved by the arts, music, etc.? Do you need solitude when there are a lot of stimuli around you? Are you tenacious in what you set out to do? Do you get scared easily? Do you get overwhelmed when you have a lot to do in a short time? Do you notice immediately when something happens to someone around you? something?Does it bother you when people ask you to do several things at once?Do you try hard to avoid making mistakes or forgetting things?Do you avoid watching violent movies and television shows?Do you feel overwhelmed when a lot of things are happening around you? around you? When you are hungry, does your mood change? Are the smallest changes in your daily life upsetting? Do you enjoy delicate aromas, soft flavors and sounds? Is it uncomfortable for you to have many objects or stimuli around you? around? Do you give a higher priority to organizing your life to avoid annoying or overwhelming situations? Do you mind being watched when you have to do something? Do you feel blocked when you have to compete? When you were a child, did your parents and teachers often say about you that Was he shy or overly sensitive?

To conclude, this is the original Aron test. We are sure that, with the passage of time and the interest of research, we will have new resources and more up-to-date evidence. On the other hand, until that day, This scale is still useful.

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