Variable Details
Available Studies
MAP, MARS, Clinical Core
Categories
Well-being
Well-being: Purpose in life
Well-being component: Purpose in life - Average of 3 items
Purpose in life is measured using 3 items from a modified version of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being. The scale includes 3 items for each of 6 aspects of well-being: self-acceptance, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relations with others, and personal growth.
Participants are asked to rate how each item applies to themselves on a 7-point Likert rating scale (see below). Items that are positively worded are flipped so that higher ratings on all individual items indicate greater purpose in life. The score is the mean of the 3 item ratings, with a higher score relating to greater purpose in life.
Participants are asked the following items:
| Item no. | Item | Flipped (f) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them. | (f) |
| 2 | I live life one day at a time and don't really think about the future. | |
| 3 | I sometimes feel as if I've done all there is to do in life. |
Response choices for each item:
| Response | Value | Flipped value |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 1 | 7 |
| Agree | 2 | 6 |
| Slightly agree | 3 | 5 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 4 | 4 |
| Slightly disagree | 5 | 3 |
| Disagree | 6 | 2 |
| Strongly disagree | 7 | 1 |