Emotional Abuse from Teachers

Do you feel like you missed out on a happy childhood?

• No
• Somewhat
• Yes

Do you feel confused about how you are really feeling?

• No
• Yes - most of the time I feel numb
• Yes - I am afraid of certain feelings and disguise them with other feelings (a common example is fear disguised as anger)
• Yes - I think I'm feeling the way people are expected to feel, but when I look more closely I'm feeling something else

What kind of educational setting were you in? (check all that apply)

Please select all that apply.

• Mainstream residential (boarding) school
• Non-residential special education (including correctional)
• Special residential school (including correctional)
• Mainstream, private school
• Mainstream, public school

Did your teachers try to dictate your thoughts, speech or morals (not counting reciting things as a class activity)?

• Constantly or almost constantly
• Never
• Often
• Occasionally
• Rarely - only for serious things like insulting others

Did your teachers insult you, with terms such as 'lazy', 'stupid', 'ugly', 'selfish' or 'crazy'?

• Never or very rarely
• Very often
• Occasionally
• Sometimes

Did your teachers treat most things as either their way or completely wrong?

• Some things
• No, accepted when we had different ways as long as they were still accurate (eg different math methods resulting in same answer)
• Yes

How old are you?

• Under 20 years
• Older than 50 years
• 30-50 years
• 20-30 years

Are you really judgemental of others?

• No
• Yes - mostly people who are quite different from me
• Yes - mostly people who have traits I dislike in myself
• Yes - pretty much everyone

Do you have trouble relaxing?

• Occasionally
• Sometimes
• I simply can't relax, or very rarely
• I have no trouble relaxing

Did your teachers interfere with your choice of career, friends or lovers?

• Yes, friends and/or lovers
• No
• Yes, career
• Yes, all three

Did your teachers expect you to change, avoid or ignore your emotions?

• Sometimes
• Only certain emotions
• No
• Frequently

Did your teachers admit when they made mistakes?

• Usually
• Sometimes
• Occasionally
• Rarely or never

In school, did you have any of the following differences? (check all that apply)

Please select all that apply.

• Autism spectrum
• Physical difference, including obesity or physical disability
• ADHD and/or learning disabilities
• Left-handedness
• Giftedness or unusual talents
• Developmental delays
• Gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender

Do you have trouble accepting compliments?

• No
• Yes, I don't want to seem conceited
• Yes, I think 'if only they knew, they wouldn't be so complimentary'
• Yes, I think they're lying

Do you disguise important aspects of who you are?

• Yes, I try to be more perfect
• No
• Yes, I disguise some trait which makes me different from others (eg handedness, sexual orientation, abilities, likes and dislikes)

Do you often obsess about confrontations with others?

• Not really
• Sometimes
• Occasionally - usually I don't, but some things really stick in my mind
• Yes - I simply can't put it behind me

Do you tend to assume other people are better than you?

• No, I'm of equal worth with most people
• No, I'm better than them
• Yes
• Sometimes - my view of myself varies a lot

Are you ever abusive or overly controlling towards people you care about?

• Often
• Occasionally
• Rarely or never
• Sometimes

Did you feel tense in school, particularly when interacting with a teacher? (not counting when you were actually in trouble)

• Some years most of the time, others rarely
• Rarely or never
• Sometimes
• Most of the time

Are you afraid of feeling strong feelings?

• Not sure
• No
• Yes, I'm afraid I'll lose control or go crazy
• Yes

Were you pressured by your teachers to reach unattainable standards?

• Attainable for most kids but not me, but I don't fault my teacher for not realizing that
• Yes
• Attainable for other kids but not me, and the teacher should've realized that
• No

Do you tend to test other people's loyalty to you or caring for you?

• No
• Yes
• Sometimes

Were you afraid to express anger, fear or sadness around your teachers?

• Yes, sadness
• Yes, fear and sadness
• No
• Yes, fear
• Yes, anger
• Yes, all three
• Yes, anger and sadness
• Yes, anger and fear

Do you feel intimidated or easily angered by people who remind you of your teachers?

• Not sure
• No
• Sometimes
• Yes

Do you have trouble making decisions?

• No
• Sometimes
• Yes, I need to remind myself that I'm allowed to make my own decisions
• Yes, I'm not sure which is the right one

Do you feel like you are under scrutiny even when no one else is around?

• Sometimes
• Rarely or never
• Often
• Occasionally

Did you often feel sad or hurt by your teachers?

• Many of them
• Some or one of them
• Most or all of them
• None of them

Were you criticized more often than you were praised by your teachers?

• No, praise was much more common than criticism
• Yes, but only slightly
• Yes, praise was rare and criticism common
• No, but close to equal

Were you scared of your teachers?

• None of them
• Many of them
• Some or one of them
• Most or all of them

Did your teachers overscrutinize your eating, sleep (if applicable), dress or personal grooming?

• Yes, a few of those
• Yes, several of those
• Yes, but only if it was really problematic (eg not dressed warmly in winter, insufficient meals or sleep)
• No

Are you extremely sensitive to criticism?

• No, criticism doesn't really affect me
• Yes, it makes me really upset
• No, about normal
• A bit

Did you teachers violate your privacy?

• Yes
• Not sure
• No

Have you had any health problems or physical pain caused by chronic stress?

• Yes, only in school
• No
• Yes, both in school and at other times
• Yes, only outside of school

Did your teachers give you mixed messages or unclear rules?

• Occasionally
• Sometimes
• Frequently
• Rarely

Did your teachers physically or sexually abuse you?

• No
• Yes, sexual (defined as doing anything intended to cause sexual arousal in you or them)
• Yes, physical (defined as deliberately causing an injury leaving a mark that lasted more than 24 hours)
• Yes, both

Were you forbidden to question or disagree with your teachers?

• Every teacher I had
• Some teachers
• None or very few of my teachers
• All but a few teachers

Are you ever horrified to find yourself acting like one of your teachers?

• No
• Yes
• No, I only find myself copying the good things

Do you often feel like you have to do everything perfect?

• Yes, and if it's not perfect first try I give up
• No, I don't want to do well
• Sometimes
• No, I try to do a good job but I don't expect perfection out of myself
• Yes, I keep trying until it's perfect

Did your teachers seem aware of when you were unhappy?

• Yes, they wanted me unhappy
• Yes, and were concerned
• Yes, but did nothing or told me to stop feeling that way or expressing it
• No, or not that I could tell

Have you had an addiction or eating disorder?

• Yes, both
• Yes, eating disorder
• Yes, addiction
• No

Was pleasing your teachers more important to them than being yourself?

• No
• Yes