Table 1.

Items Included in Purpose in Life Questionnaire^a

1. I enjoy making plans for the future and working to make them a reality.

2. My daily activities often seem trivial and unimportant to me.

3. I am an active person in carrying out the plans I set for myself.

4. I don’t have a good sense of what it is I’m trying to accomplish in life.

5. I sometimes feel as if I’ve done all there is to do in my life.

6. I live life one day at a time and don’t really think about the future.

7. I have a sense of direction and purpose in my life.

^aResponses ranged from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” on a six-point Likert scale; negatively worded items were reverse coded and the score was averaged across all seven items.