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DESCRIPTION OF THE EMOTIONAL TONE SCALE
The basic nature of Man is not bad. It is good. But between him and that goodness are fears, rages and repressions. — L. Ron Hubbard, “The Free Man”
Introduction — by Barbara Miller
The world can seem a dangerous place to navigate if we can’t tell the difference between a tiger and a teddy bear, the true and sincere person from the deceitful.
Certain questions have been asked since time immemorial about how to know people, who to trust and who to be wary of. Who will go the distance and who is only a short sprinter. Who looks good on the surface but is really a scaredy-cat underneath. Or how a smile can hide treacherous intentions underneath.
Many books have been written attempting to answer these questions. So you might entitle this piece:
‘How to tell who walks in the sun and who perpetually walks under a cloud.’
The data offered beyond this introduction comes from science and was many decades in the making. It has been tested and codified into a form that anyone can easily use. It is both fun to read and startling in its depth of understanding. I guarantee that you will not be bored!
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Most of us had well-meaning friends and family when we grew up – who helped to shape our viewpoint of how life should be on our journey from childhood to adulthood. And this helped us to pick those people we thought would complete our image of career, marriage, family, business and friendship. And being young and fearless we usually assumed that ‘ it would all work out.’
And most of the time it did!
But as we also learned…life isn’t all roses…and some of the thorns can hurt!
It sometimes isn’t until later that we realize we may have miscalculated in our assessment of the people we chose for friends, business associates or mates. It’s as if we were missing a vital piece of a puzzle and were doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again until the missing piece was found.
And that ‘something’ affected the people we hired at work who seemed great in the beginning but then displayed a different agenda later-on, to our personal relationships where a boy friend or girl friend seemed caring and responsible at the start, but later turned into a Jekyll and Hide personality… or had another amour secretly waiting in the wings unbeknownst to us!
Many people eventually find themselves thumbing through a popular title online on how to find true love or hire the right person for business. After all, the people who write these books are considered experts in their field. So ever hopeful, we decide to give their advice a try.
But as time passes, the same old situations begin to appear again, as the advice given simply didn’t go the distance in terms of work-ability. So we soon found ourselves disillusioned again.
So what are we doing wrong…?
Well, lets put this into perspective.
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The Physical Sciences
The physical sciences have come a long way in the last two hundred years.. but the one area that has lagged behind in real substance is the humanities, or the study of man and what makes him tick.
Not the study of his body, for biologists have found many answers in terms of handling disease and understanding the body on a molecular level. But in the area of the mind and spirit…man is still asking the same questions he was asking hundreds of years ago. So something has been missing…
There are confusions about what man is supposedly made up of…what life is doing…and why are we here. Why does man act as he does, and what is the mind and where it is? What is the human spirit and do we really understand the physical universe …
Oh there’s plenty of information about the brain – a physical organ of the body – but you are not your brain anymore than you are your arm or leg. For you have an arm and you have a leg. And you have a body.
But who are you?
Most people are left wondering where the real answers are that don’t require a PHD in nuclear physics or psychology to have a better understanding of themselves and others.
Sadly, many of the clever sounding book titles today lack the science or results that their advice is based on. For many are based on pop culture themes that are given because they sound like a quick or easy fix. Or they offer theories that are originally based Dr. So & So’s opinions, which themselves are based on worn-out psychological theories that didn’t work when they were written in the 20th century, let alone today.
So whats the answer?
In the last 150 years that psychology and psychiatry have to had prove themselves.. I’m afraid that according to actual statistics and public opinion..they have failed miserably in helping man to discover his own truth, solve his own problems and live up to his own god-given potential. Instead they have offer labels – not based on science but opinion – and dangerous psychotropic drugs that have given them the highest suicidal rate of any industry. And these statistics and are not difficult to find. (See documentary on The Diagnostic Statistical Manual -DSM- to see on what basis their psychological labels are based on. And for more on the liability legally of being labeled…see footnote reference below.)
Bottom line challenge in today’s world: how to help man without hurting him.
No matter what system of help they’ve tried many are still left struggling with the eternal question of ‘why me’… and may take a stab at some questionable solutions, hoping they will help him grab the eternal brass ring. And when he fails at this too many times he eventually feels betrayed, as it begins to feel like that brass ring was deliberately placed out of his reach. And so he becomes cynical about life.
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Beyond Hope
But there is hope. And even a bright spot!
For even when man is trying do the right thing… and comes up short…his desire for a better understanding of himself and his own capabilities …still lay buried beneath the ruins of his despair. For deep down he knows there are answers that make sense – somewhere.
And now those answers are available to him, so he can take charge of his life in a way that makes sense to him. And so can walk in the sun again.
And to tell you the truth, those answers have been hiding in plain site all along. It’s just that his ability to see them was temporarily dimmed.
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A scientific breakthrough
In 1950, scientist, author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard wrote a landmark book entitled Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health which exposed the major source of mans miseries and it’s remedy.
This discovery was so major that it became the best-selling book on the human mind of all time, topping best seller lists in 1950 for over 100 weeks, while doing something unheard of in the publishing industry – that of going back onto the New York Times Best Seller list for a second time in 1983! 
As a result of the discoveries revealed in his first book, Hubbard went on to pen a second book called Science of Survival which expanded into an entirely new field of study: the classification and prediction of human behavior. Here Hubbard stripped off all of the social veneer and so-called traits of man, and predicted exactly what to expect from any individual.
He so thoroughly unmasked the beasts of the jungle (even the tigers in teddy bear clothing) that many were shaken by it, but gratified at the same time to have discovered this unusual knowledge. Because it answered so many questions!
For here was a treasure-trove of answers that mankind had been looking for decades on how to accurately predict human behavior. And though people come in various shapes, sizes, backgrounds, economic and social levels, there’s one thing they all have in common: emotions.
And those emotions were plotted on something called the Emotional Tone Scale. Hubbard’s discoveries revealed three important facts about emotions:
- There’s a package of fixed responses that goes with every emotion.
- Emotions fall into a certain order —going from grim to great.
- There are layers of restrained emotions, formerly unrecognized.
Accompanying each emotion is a complete, unvarying package of attitudes and behavior. Therefore, once we recognize that a person who is chronically fixed in a tone level of grief for example, we can expect him to be lamenting: “I was betrayed. Nobody loves me. Things used to be better.” And we know how he will behave in most situations in life, as he tends to be easily betrayed.
For the rich and beautiful actress who takes a bottle of sleeping pills feels the same overwhelming hopelessness as the skid row bum hugging his empty bottle. Although sitting in different settings and wearing different costumes, they’re both reading from the same script.
These emotional tones are on a numbered scale and lead from the bottom – Apathy, to the top – Enthusiasm. And at each level we are able to see what attitudes the person will manifest in work, love, friendship, their handling others, trust-worthiness, initiative, reaction time, handling of truth, command over their environment, analytical ability, ethics level, ability to communicate, and how conscious they are (how awake they are). Also their ability to help, and if their solutions will be rational or destructive.
While looking at the descriptions of these tones below, keep in mind that everyone goes through different tone levels during the day, from high to low, depending upon different life situations – be it good or bad in their view.
The only liability being if they get stuck in one of the lower tones and are unable to move out of it. For this would leave them stuck in a chronic lower tone, which would change their attitudes on life, their actions, and survival ability.
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If you watch a child, you’ll see him rapidly go in and out of these tone levels as he plays. He may fall and lightly injure himself and cry, and 2 minutes later be laughing again. He may experience frustration and antagonism at a playmate – and then moments later become bored with that – and move on to higher toned pursuits like ‘games.’ He tends to be persistent, quick thinking and optimistic in his outlook. As a child has not yet had the losses of an adult, it is easier for him to move up and down the Tone Scale rather quickly, with the higher tones usually being the norm.
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As an adult it is normal to feel grief at the death of a loved one or when experiencing a loss of some kind. Or the momentary frustration brought-on by someone who is habitually letting us down – and not taking responsibility for it. For there are emotions that are natural for any given situation in life, where we fall down the tone scale temporarily while coping with or resolving situations.
However a lower toned person will keep his attention on an upset or loss indefinitely; hugging it to himself like a warm blanket, not realizing that it’s possible to bring understanding to the situation, change his point of view, and walk out from under the clouds.
We’ve all had moments of hopelessness or defeatism…but any type of victim-hood as a tone level tends to perpetuate its own distress.
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When each of these tone levels is fully understood, it becomes much easier to predict the responses of people around us, and also who we are going to have the most success with. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Finally, that missing piece of the ‘people puzzle’ has been found! And you can embark on your own adventure of how to better understand your fellow human beings.
4.0 ENTHUSIASM
Lighthearted with a free mind. Intuitive: liable to follow his own hunches and be right. Excellent at projects, takes constructive action. Quick reaction time, (relative to age.) Speech is strong, swift; can easily exchange ideas, searches for different viewpoints to broaden his own reality. Analytical, with high ability to tell fact from fiction. Good communication understanding as modified by education. Method of handling others is to gain support by creative enthusiasm backed by reason.
3.5 CHEERFULNESS – STRONG INTEREST
Has strong interests. Reasons well. Good at projects; a participant not a spectator. Adjusts environment to benefit self and others. Constructive action. Speech is optimistic. Truthful. Will accept others’ deep seated ideas and consider them. Good grasp of statements, good sense of humor. Method to handle others is with creative reasoning and vitality.
3.0 CONSERVATISM
A conformist who doesn’t like to ‘rock the boat’. Resists change. Pleasant conversation, but uncomfortable with more extreme ideas or reforms. Tends to squelch enthusiasm or inventiveness. Is ruled by caution. Poised, restrained, tolerant, but won’t go into action without careful consideration. Receives ideas if stated cautiously. Awareness of possible validity of different reality.
2.5 BOREDOM
The spectator. All the worlds a stage and he’s the audience. Neither contented nor discontented. He endures things. Purposeless. Tends to be careless of things and people. Not threatening; not helpful. Listens only to ordinary affairs. Careless about details. Devalues emergencies. Indifferent to conflict. Apt to be liberal about humor. Starting things will have to be your idea.
2.0 ANTAGONISM
Throws things back at you with barbs or sarcasm. Attempts to help can be taken as an insult, which brings criticism of you. Will cross examine and is easily upset. Nags and bluntly criticizes to demand compliance. Twists truth to suit antagonism. Will invalidate other’s reality; openly mocks very positive ideas. Capable of minor constructive action.
1.8 PAIN
Touchy, irritable, his mind wants to be elsewhere, but he is mentally too scattered to make it happen. Impatient and snappish; he’s striking out at the source of the pain. Pain itself is not an emotion, but a perception that warns us that survival is being threatened. A particular emotional response to pain occurs on a small way-stop between Anger and Antagonism.
1.5 ANGER
Chronic distemper. Blames others, he’s not responsible. Violently disagrees with other’s reality. Holds grudges, threatens, is hung up on obedience. Lies in order to dominate. Gives unclear orders then blames you for doing it wrong. He’s right, you’re wrong, don’t confuse him with facts. Stops positive communication. Anger rarely tells the truth. Takes action to ultimately smash or destroy, whether material things or people’s dreams.
1.2 NO SYMPATHY
Cold fish. Unfeeling toward less fortunate or someone with a problem. ‘You made your bed now lie in it’. Is suppressing violent anger which causes him to shut off all emotion. Cruel, calm, resourceful, acidly polite. Can sweet talk, but with vicious intent underneath. Seeks hidden control; is capable of blackmail so others can be used. As with 1.5 above, there’s only one viewpoint: his.
1.1 COVERT HOSTILITY
The cheerful hypocrite. Likes gossip. Lives in unexpressed resentment or fear. Nervous laughter or constant smile. Likes practical jokes that are at your expense. Seeks to introvert others, covertly invalidates: ‘Oh I love that dress every time I see it..’ Nullifies others so they can be used. Devious. This is the most dangerous of all tones as they act nice then stab you in the back. Cannot show their hostility overtly, so they show it covertly. Watch your back as they’ll likely do it with a smile.
1.0 FEAR
A coward who is anxious, suspicious and worried. Running away from, defending, or caught in indecision. Life is always dangerous to him. Talks of fearful things, real or imagined. Is scattered, looks everywhere except at you; is easily frightened. Can manifest as excessive shyness, or unwarranted suspicions. His solution to life is to be careful –about everything. His attention jumps from one thing to another, as his conversation takes grasshopper leaps from subject to subject
0.9 SYMPATHY
Obsessive agreement. Afraid of hurting others. Collects the downers, no matter the cost. This is not compassion or empathy, but compulsive sympathy. His sin of omission is extreme pity and leniency that reinforces the lower tones by not showing strength when its needed. He over-protects, gives the shirt off his back, then when the receiver runs out on him, cries ‘how could she do this after all I’ve done for her!’ Will feel sorry for the blatant criminal down the street.
0.8 PROPITIATION
Appeasement. Does favors to protect himself from bad effects. Sincerely wanting to give is admirable, but the intention here is to stop. He gives to you but you’re not allowed to give back. He gives unearned objects he considers desirable to his child until the child is unhappy as it stunts his ability to earn these things for himself. So the child either runs away or curls up into apathy. Giving equals control here, so that you will be appeased. He doesn’t allow others to freely exchange back.
0.5 GRIEF
Though the loss happened 20 years ago he stills cries at the memory of it. Dwells in the past, collects grievances and old mementos. Feels betrayed. Everything is painful. Easily has reality of others forced on him. Grief has a hard time holding a job as they are easily overwhelmed. Will lie to get sympathy. As a friend, pulls higher tone person down. Liability to society and a possible suicide.
0.375 MAKING AMENDS
A mop-the-floor-with-me tone, who is living in deep self-pity trying to atone for some past wrong, real or imagined. He is self-sacrificing and the suicidal martyr who can never ‘repay you enough’. He is living a constant apology, and will debase himself to get sympathy or help. This tone is often used by transients begging on the street or the female heroin addict who takes up prostitution to earn another fix.
0.05 APATHY
Suicidal, as part of him has already died. ‘Why bother’, ‘it’s no use’ attitude. Addict, alcoholic, gambler. Thin grip on reality, as nothing is really real to the person in apathy. Can take different forms from the bum on the street to a sophisticated person, but each one feels powerless to do anything about anything. May profess to have found “ peace” when they have actually given up on life. Like an animal playing possum, this is a form of pretended death so others will not think him dangerous and will leave. Stares into space and doesn’t respond to communication. He’s not really there, he’s checked out; as this is one step above physical death.
The Tone Scale plots the descending spiral of life from full vitality and consciousness through half vitality and half consciousness down to death. By various calculations about the energy of life, by observation and by test, this Tone Scale is able to give levels of behavior.
— L. Ron Hubbard
Mr. Hubbard spent more than six decades developing and codifying the Administrative and Management technologies, the Sciences of the Mind and Human spirit, Literacy & what blocks learning, Body Purification discoveries, and the Emotional Tone Scale. These technologies are derived from the natural laws governing human behavior and life, as well as the discovery of the Reactive Mind and its remedy.
When properly used these technologies create saner, more ethical groups, viable companies, and happier, healthier people.
The success of Mr. Hubbard’s administrative & management technologies is such that more than 100,000 companies around the world, from the financial sector, to healthcare to retail, service and manufacturing industries, all use his administrative and organizational systems to their benefit.
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