Purpose-in-life Test in an Inmate Population - An Empirical Investigation

• NCJ Number: 75465
• Journal: Journal of Clinical Psychology Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1977) Pages: 688-693
• Author(s): G T Reker
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented at the meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, June, 1976

Annotation

The validity of the Purpose-in-life (PIL) test and its relationship to attitudes, locus of control, personality factors, and several demographic variables were investigated among inmates of a Canadian Federal penitentiary.

Abstract

Experimental subjects were 48 male inmates who had volunteered to take part in a Life Skills program. They had a mean age of 24.25 years, average intelligence, about four siblings, and an average sentence of about 52 months. In addition to the attitude scale of the PIL, three other test measures were used: the Life Areas Survey (LAS), the Rotter I-E Scale, and the Edwards Personality Inventory (EPI). The tests were administered in the following order: PIL, LAS, I-E Scale, and the EPI. Results showed that reliability estimates offered strong support for the internal consistency and stability of the PIL in an inmate population. Evidence for the concurrent validity of the PIL test was provided by significant correlations obtained between total PIL scores and attitudes concerning life at present and life in the future. Significant and positive PIL correlations with measures of self-concept, self-esteem, internal locus of control, and the two EPI scales of 'plans and organizes things' and 'carefree' were obtained. The lack of significant correlations with the 12 remaining scales of the EPI is cited as proof that the PIL is measuring the dimension of 'existential vacuum,' which is independent of traditional personality traits. Also found were significant relationships between PIL scores and the demographic variables of age, intelligence, and family relations. The variables of education, occupation, number of siblings, and marital status were not significantly related to PIL scores. When compared to normal samples, inmates scored significantly lower on meaning and purpose in life. These data support the continuing use of the PIL in research and applied settings. Tables and 17 references are provided.