You are about to take the Epstein-Dumas Infantilization Inventory (EDII), a test that will help you determine the extent to which you are being infantilized by significant people in your life. The lower your score, the better. Mainstream adults in the U.S. generally score quite low - under 5 percent. Zero percent is a perfect score, suggesting that the people around you treat you with dignity and respect.
Active-duty U.S. Marines score about 24 percent on this test. Incarcerated felons score even higher - about 35 percent. Populations needing a great deal of care and protection, such as young children or the severely mentally ill, score considerably higher. A highly restricted child (assisted in taking the test) will score about 70 percent on the EDII, and so will many American teens, even though they are no longer children.
When competent people are treated like children, they often react with depression or anger. Knowing how much you are infantilized can be an important first step toward improving your life.
Designed by Dr. Robert Epstein (follow on Twitter at @DrREpstein), one of America's most distinguished psychologists, this test will give you a quick measure of just how infantilized you are. The test is based on collaborative research originally conducted by Dr. Epstein and his colleague, Dr. Diane Dumas.
If you are conducting research and would like to collect raw data for a group that is taking this test - for a business, research study, classroom activity, or other purpose - please see our Group Testing Instructions
If you are a parent of teens or preteens, you might want to take Dr. Epstein's newest test, the Epstein Teen Parenting Inventory, accessible at TeenParentingSkills.com.
To get a quick measure of your adult competence, you might also want to take the Epstein-Dumas Test of Adultness, accessible at HowAdultAreYou.com.
If you know a young person who is depressed, angry, or defiant, he or she might be suffering from Extended Childhood Disorder. Find out at ExtendedChildhoodDisorder.com.
The infantilization test takes about 10 minutes to complete. Before we get to the inventory itself, we'll ask you a few basic questions about yourself. Demographic information is being collected for research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential.
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