Abstract
Construction and validation of the Emotional Sensitivity Scale (ESS). A new approach for measuring neuroticism. The aim of the present research was the construction and preliminary validation of a new instrument for measuring emotional sensitivity, to further examine its role in the stress-illness relationship. To do so, extensive theoretical and psychometric revisions were performed on both the construct of neuroticism proposed by Eysenck, and on his most widely used scales - EPI and EPQ. As a result, the Emotional Sensitivity Scale (ESS) is proposed as a measure of the emotional reactivity, which addresses the main psychometric shortcomings identified in Eysenck's scales. Furthermore, a new conceptualisation of neuroticism is proposed, where the expression of the emotional reactivity is not only negative, but rather a more positive and adaptive sphere of the emotionality is also conceived.
