S

1
1. Heredity determines most of one's personality.
2. Whatever plans you make, there is always something unexpected that will
interfere with them.
3. Intelligence is a given and cannot be trained or become stunted.
4. You cannot fool your destiny.
5. I can complain about politics, but that's about all I can do.
6. When I ace a test or do really well on a project at work, I assume that I succeeded
only because it was an easy one.
7. In one way or another, academic success is mostly a result of one's socioeconomic background.
8. Unless a person is given the chance to meet new people, he/she will end up lonely.
A happy-go-lucky person is usually that way because he or she has had an easy
life.
10. One can hardly lead a healthy social life after being rejected by peers as a kid.
11. Most of the time, a person cannot rise above his or her background.
12. If you set realistic goals, you can succeed no matter what.
9.

13. If I failed an assignment, I would assume that I didn't put sufficient effort into it.
14. I can overcome negative first impressions I have made on others.
15. If I study hard enough, I can succeed at any exam.
16. One can overcome painful childhood memories and diminish their impact on
one's behavior, thinking, and emotions.
17. I attribute triumphs in my life to my skills and intelligence rather than to chance.
18. A person can change his or her personality and behavior patterns.
19. Crime and violence can be abolished if people set their mind to it.
20. Being at the right place at the right time is essential for getting what you want in
life.
21. Bad or good luck can really follow you around.
22. Many people lead miserable lives because of their parents.
23. Many bad things in one's life happen just because of bad luck.
24. People get promoted just because their bosses like them.
25. The main reason why one's projects folds is that the circumstances are not
favorable.
26. One can climb the professional/occupational ladder just by being around at the
right time.
27. One can fail at something just because she or he is having a bad day.
28. Chance has nothing to do with being successful.
29. I think I have the ability to succeed academically or in my career.

A
D S
2 3 4 5

30. Failure just means I have to work harder next time.

31. When I do not succeed at a goal I was trying to reach, it is usually because I am
not capable of performing as well as I would like.
32. I have no way to control whether people like me or not; they will make their own
impression of me.
33. You have to be proactive when it comes to finding a romantic partner - they are
not going to come to you.
34. It would be useless for me to go to a political protest - no one pays attention to
those things.
35. My vote makes a difference.
36. I can live longer if I live a healthy lifestyle now.
37. There's not much you can do to prevent getting sick.
38. My health is predetermined by my genes.
39. When I get sick, I just try to ride it out - there's not much you can do to speed the
recovery process.
40. Surviving cancer is a total longshot, no matter what you do to fight it.
41. If I see something unjust in this world, I can take steps to change it.
42. I take part in the appropriate medical screenings for my age/gender (for example,
breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer screenings).
43. When I have performed more poorly than I would have liked on an exam, I just
shake it off - no big deal.
44. I never give up on projects I am working on.
45. I feel completely in control, all the time.
46. I blame others for my problems.
47. Nothing ever takes me by surprise.