Study Wessman & Ricks (1966): study US 1957

Public

Female college students, Radcliff USA, followed 6 weeks, 1957

Sample

Respondents

N = 21

Non Response

16%

Assessment

Diary
Mood diary kept 30 days.

Correlate

Authors's Label

Personal moral judgement

Our Classification

Related specification variables

Operationalization

Repeated closed question on 'how self- approving, or how guilty, you felt', rated on a 10-point scale:

10. Have a transcendent feeling of mo-
    ral perfection and virtue.
9. I have a sense of extraordinary
    worth and goodness.
8. In high favor with myself. Well up
    to my own best standards.
7. Consider myself pretty close to my
    own best self.
6. By and large, measuring up to most
    of my moral standards.
5. Somewhat short of what I ought to
    be.
4. I have a sense of having done wrong
3. Feel that I have failed morally.
2. Heavy laden with my own moral
    worthlessness.
1. In anguish. Tormented by guilt and
    self-loathing.

Scale scored each night for the highest, lowest and average experience of the day.
(Wessman & Ricks Personal Moral Judge- ment Scale).

Observed Relation with Happiness