Miller Behavioral Style Scale (MBSS)

The Miller Behavioral Style Scale asks how a person handles a threatening situation they cannot control. Some people want every detail — what will happen, when, and how bad it will be. Others deliberately look away and think about something else. Neither is wrong, but knowing which a person does shapes how information should be given to them.

Four stressful scenarios are described: a dental appointment, a plane with engine trouble, a hostage situation, and a rumored round of layoffs. Each is followed by eight coping responses — four monitoring, four blunting — and the person indicates which apply to them. Monitoring and blunting are scored as separate scales rather than opposite ends of one.

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