The Profile of Mood States was originally developed by McNair, Lorr and Droppleman in 1971. It is a self-reporting instrument measuring six dimensions of fluctuating mood swings over time. Those are: Tension or Anxiety, Depression or Dejection, Anger or Hostility, Vigor or Activity, Fatigue or Inertia, Confusion or Bewilderment. Participants are asked to self-identify (on a five-point scale ranging from "not at all" to "extremely" whether each of 65 adjectives is descriptive of themselves at the time. A "healthy" profile is referred to as the "Iceberg Profile".
PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS): "Once the POMS had been completed by all participants, we moved onto the selection phase."
Cite this page: N., Pam M.S., "PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS)," in PsychologyDictionary.org, April 28, 2013, https://psychologydictionary.org/profile-of-mood-states-poms/ (accessed June 14, 2021).
